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Stories, Stats, Impacts: Wyoming Public Media is here to keep you current on the news surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Governor, State Superintendent Recommend Schools Close Until April

CCO Public Domain

School districts across Wyoming have announced they are closing until April in compliance with Gov. Mark Gordon's recommendation.

Gordon and State Superintendent Jillian Below announced Sunday evening that schools should stay closed until at least April 3, and students should practice social distancing to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

In his statement, Gordon wrote that his recommendation is not binding, and that individual districts will have the final decision on whether or not to close. He added that closures beyond April 3 will, "depend on how this situation unfolds in the coming weeks."

According to the Wyoming Department of Education, schools must be open for 185 days a year, or funding could be taken away. "However, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction has the ability to hold a district harmless from this reduction in the case of widespread illness in order to protect the health and welfare of students and district employees," according to the department. Districts can apply for a waiver that will be considered by state and local education and health officials.

The department of education has also complied information for districts to use ranging from resources to funding opportunities during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This story will be updated with more information.

Catherine Wheeler comes to Wyoming from Kansas City, Missouri. She has worked at public media stations in Missouri and on the Vox podcast "Today, Explained." Catherine graduated from Fort Lewis College with a BA in English. She recently received her master in journalism from the University of Missouri. Catherine enjoys cooking, looming, reading and the outdoors.
Savannah comes to Wyoming Public Media from NPR’s midday show Here & Now, where her work explored everything from Native peoples’ fraught relationship with American elections to the erosion of press freedoms for tribal media outlets. A proud citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, she’s excited to get to know the people of the Wind River reservation and dig into the stories that matter to them.
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