Gov. Tate Reeves has ordered all public school buildings closed through the end of the spring semester due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.
School districts throughout the state, including in the Golden Triangle, have been using distance learning to educate students since mid-March, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending Americans take social distance measures and limit the number of people in one place.
Reeves signed an executive order on March 19 closing schools through Friday, saying at the time that he may extend the closures if health experts thought it necessary to curb the spread of the virus.
As of Tuesday morning, Mississippi State Department of Health reported more than 3,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state. However, Reeves said Tuesday that was significantly fewer cases than models had predicted when he initially closed schools, and that school closures have “had more impact on slowing the spread of the virus than any other decision we’ve made.”
Reeves said distance learning in the state will continue through the end of the semester. Students are excused from end-of-year tests. Reeves also said state officials would work with superintendents to implement any summer programs, if necessary, to prepare students for next school year.
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