UPDATE: Irvine and Orange school districts extend closures into May

Irvine Unified School District, in a letter to parents from Superintendent Terry Walker Tuesday indicated it is extending school closures until May 1 because of concerns about the coronavirus.

It’s not known what affect these decisions will have on spring sports. CIF officials would have to extend the seasons in order to complete spring playoffs. The CIF State Office is scheduled to meet April 3 to discuss whether to cancel spring sports or reschedule them.

Irvine Unified School District Athletic Director Mark Cunningham said he was not aware of any decision regarding athletics.

The release from Irvine said in part:

“Based on these conditions, directives and preventive measures, the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education and I have extended the closure of our schools through Friday, May 1.

“If we learn, prior to May 1, that circumstances have changed and that we can safely reopen our schools, IUSD and our dedicated staff will do so at our earliest opportunity. To that end, the District will continue to monitor closely the guidance from federal, state and local authorities and coordinate our actions and responses with expert health agencies and other OC school districts.”

In addition, the Orange Unified School District voted to extend closure of schools through Monday, May 11.

Here’s part of the release from Orange Unified:

“The Board of Education held an emergency meeting today and voted (5 yes, 2 absent) to extend the student dismissal period until Friday, May 8.  Students are scheduled to return Monday, May 11.  This was the first time a virtual setting was used and over 470 people attended the meeting. Many excellent questions were asked, and staff is working on a Q&A document to share on the website.

“This decision to extend school closures is in alignment with other school districts that have pushed back their student dismissal dates until late April or May in light of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order and the latest guidance from local health officials. In a statement, Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares, Ph.D., announced his support for extending student dismissals based on the governor’s order and current social distancing guidelines.”

Orange Athletic Director Alicia Seevers said athletics was not discussed at the meeting.