Wolf closes schools for 2 weeks
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the closure of all Pennsylvania schools from Monday through March 27, after many area superintendents had already started making decisions for their districts.
The superintendents of all 500 school districts were invited to take part in a morning video conference with Pedro Rivera, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and expected to get some direction on what to do in response to the pandemic.
Instead, they were left to make decisions on their own until Wolf’s announcement came around 3 p.m.
Monessen
Dr. Leanne Spazak, Monessen City School District superintendent, said due to the lack of direction from the PDE, members of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 initially intended to at least take Act 80 days Monday and Tuesday to allow teachers and staff make plans for an extended closing.
Before Wolf’s announcement Spazak said, “It is frustrating that districts were not given the support to implement the recommendations from the governor and the Pennsylvania Department of Health — such as canceling events of over 250 people, practicing social distancing, etc.”
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