Ending weeks of speculation, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Mississippi public school buildings will remain closed for the rest of the semester but emphasized the school year is not over.
Students will be required to participate in distance learning, and Reeves said teachers and schools must submit plans to show how they will continue with education for the remainder of the school year.
“We do not want our kids to fall behind,” Reeves said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “No one wants to shut down the schools as much as I do.”
Reeves issued an executive order closing all public schools in the state on March 19 in an effort to slow spread of the coronavirus, as all U.S. states have done. At the time, the closure was through April 17. Students would had returned Monday, the day the current shelter in place order expires.
“It was my hope, my intention and my goal to have students back in school Monday,” he said.
But the governor said he is listening to health experts and proceeding based on their advice.
End-of-year testing has been suspended for all of the students.
Reeves said plans need to be made for both students who are able to participate in distance learning and also for those who are not. While he mentioned about classes ending toward the end of May, if needed summer teaching may be an option.
“This virus doesn’t hit everyone equally,” Reeves said.
Reeves said he is working with State Department of Education in drafting an executive order the will be issued within the next few days.
Dr. Thomas Dobbs with the state Health Department said it appears the coronavirus cases may have peaked in the state.
Now is the time to be most diligent in social distancing, he said. He stressed people must adhere to the guidelines.
A statewide shelter-in-place order remains in place until Monday. People are to stay home except for groceries, working essential jobs and other necessities.
Reeves has established a “Governor’s Commission for Economic Recovery” chaired by Joe Sanderson of Sanderson Farms that will develop recommendations for how to restart the state’s economy.
As of press-time on Tuesday, Mississippi had hit the 3,000 mark in the number of positive cases of COVID-19. A total of 3,087 cases were confirmed.
Marion County is up to 25 cases. Since Friday Marion County has had eight new cases.
Globally, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, there are more than 1,978,000 cases.
