K-12 schools in San Luis Obispo County will close next week in response to coronavirus concerns.
The San Luis Obispo County Office of Education announced Friday that the following districts and charters have taken or will take action to close schools:
- Almond Acres Charter
- Atascadero Unified
- Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter
- Cayucos Elementary
- Coast Unified
- Lucia Mar Unified
- Paso Robles Joint Unified
- Pleasant Valley Joint Union Elementary
- San Luis Coastal Unified
- San Luis Obispo County Office of Education
- San Miguel Joint Union
- Shandon Joint Unified
- Templeton Unified
In a statement, County Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Brescia said, "I realize that a temporary closure of schools has a tremendous impact on our community. This step has been taken in the best interest of our students, families, and employees. Each district is taking steps to sanitize facilities, support the continuity of learning, and to ensure students have access to healthy meals."
Individual school districts sent messages to parents on Friday.
In a message from the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Superintendent Dr. Eric Prater said, "This is not an easy decision. We understand the detrimental and far-reaching effects caused by this action and the difficulties this presents to families... We are determined to provide ongoing education for our students via online resources and ensure students who rely on our nutrition program will continue to have access to this important resource."
San Luis Coastal schools will be closed from March 16 through April 14.
Schools in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District will be closed starting Monday through April 13.
Atascadero Unified School District schools will be closed through at least March 31.
Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District will be closed through March 27.
Lucia Mar Superintendent Andy Stenson said, "This closure is in support of the recommendations from public health officials to encourage “social distancing” to slow the spread of the virus. It is strongly recommended that students stay home during the closure as much as possible and do not gather in public places."
The Santa Barbara County Education Office also announced Friday that all K-12 schools in Santa Barbara County would close by March 18 and remain closed through at least the end of March.