Gov. Tony Evers closes public, private schools in Wisconsin over COVID-19
Updated: 5:10 p.m. on March 17, 2020
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Gov. Tony Evers extended the statewide closure of all public and private schools indefinitely on Tuesday, March 17.
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Posted: 4:30 p.m. on March 13, 2020
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday, March 13, public and private schools will close across the state, due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The mandated closure will begin on Wednesday, March 18 in order to give school districts time to make plans for kids, families, educators and staff. School districts may choose to close earlier than Wednesday.
The anticipated reopening date is April 6, however it is subject to change.
Following the announcement, Milwaukee Public Schools, Kenosha Unified, and Racine Unified School Districts have decided to close effective Monday, March 16. Kenosha and Racine will reopen April 6, and MPS will reopen April 13.
MPS announced that they will be providing free meals from Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. beginning March 16.
A list of distribution locations can be found HERE.
“Closing our schools is not a decision I made lightly, but keeping our kids, our educators, our families, and our communities safe is a top priority as we continue our work to respond to and prevent further spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin,” said Gov. Evers.
Today, I directed @DHSWI to issue an agency order mandating the closure of all K-12 Wisconsin schools, public and private, as part of our efforts to respond to and contain the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) March 13, 2020
In a statement, Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association President Amy Mizialko said:
"Shutting down every school is an important first step to keep students, workers and their families safe. We will continue to advocate that MPS and state officials ensure students in need have access to meals and that public education workers, especially hourly wage earners, are not harmed economically by school closures."
CBS 58 has compiled a growing list of closures. CLICK HERE for more.
