UPDATE | MARCH 12, 2020
This afternoon the Snoqualmie Valley School District announced it was officially closing schools starting Friday, March 13th until April 24th in response to spreading cases of COVID-19.
The SVSD announcement stated:
“Please know that the District Leadership Team has been in communication with public health, area superintendents, The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), our School Board, union leadership, and the Governor’s office, in making this significant decision.
We recognize this closure creates many challenges and our goal is to continue supporting our families and community during this time, to the best of our ability. Our schools play an important role, not only in the education of our students, but also in the health and safety of the Snoqualmie Valley.
We will be spending next week finalizing our plans and putting systems in place to support students, staff and our community.
We will continue to provide updated information over the next few days. This will include an FAQ to help answer questions and provide additional resources.
At this time, we ask for your patience in submitting questions and concerns, to allow our staff time to focus on the plethora of challenges and complexities of this situation.
We strongly urge families to follow the ongoing guidance from King County Public Health for social distancing and other precautions in an effort to slow the spread of this virus.”
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ORIGINAL STORY
On Wednesday, March 11, 2020 Snoqualmie Valley School District officials announced they are anticipating an order from the state to close schools due to spreading cases of COVID-19 in the Puget Sound area.
SVSD said, “In a morning press conference Governor Inslee and Public Health officials asked school districts in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties to prepare for school closures that could last several weeks.”
In the Wednesday press conference Governor Inslee also banned social gathering in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties of more than 250 people in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
In response, Seattle, Bellevue and Lake Washington School Districts all announced closures today.
SVSD Superintendent Rob Manahan confirmed SVSD schools would be open on Thursday, March 12th. Currently there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in SVSD schools.
According to the SVSD announcement, “We know this raises all kinds of questions and implications including childcare needs for our staff and families, school meals, graduation, student support services and much more. Please know that we are working on contingency plans to address a wide range of impacts, and encourage our families to do the same. We will continue to provide regular updates as we work through these issues.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus outbreak has grown to an unprecedented regional crisis.”
The Mount Si Senior Center announced it is closing, saying, “In response to the coronavirus and the spread of COVID-19, Mt. Si Senior Center will do its part to limit gatherings of people. Starting Thursday, March 12th, the Center will be closed, temporarily.”
The Senior Center is hoping to reschedule most programs and is also looking at alternatives to make sure that seniors feel connected and cared for. Staff said more info would be provided next week.
Snoqualmie Valley Transportation said its buses are still operating. According to an announcement, buses are cleaned twice a day and run frequently enough that there’s plenty of room for social distancing. They encourage riders to wash hands, cough or sneeze into elbows (not hands) and avoid touching your face. For bus schedules, visit www.svtbus.org.
King County Public Health reported 234 cases of COVID-19 in its March 11th update – up 44 from the previous day – and 26 deaths, up four from the previous day. Those numbers are cases through 11:59PM on 3/10/20.
