Due to the State of Emergency declared by the St. Lawrence County Board of Directors, and in consultation with St. Lawrence County and St. Lawrence Public Health, the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES and its 18 school districts have made a unanimous decision to close school immediately until at least April 20th. The districts, in collaboration with Public Health, will reevaluate the return of staff and students prior to the 20th to determine whether or not it is safe to return. 

On Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, the districts will be closed so that custodial and maintenance staff can disinfect the buildings. 

Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20,  all faculty and staff should report at usual time and location to discuss planning moving forward. 

Beginning Monday, March 23rd, districts will provide breakfast and lunch to students aged 18 and under. Details about the process and procedures for food distribution will be forthcoming.

This decision is a purely preemptive measure to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 in our community. As of March 14 at the time of this writing, there are no confirmed cases in St. Lawrence County. However, the Department of Public Health has advised that the best action the districts can take to prevent the spread of this illness in our community is to limit social interaction. 

“The County, BOCES, and superintendents of our 18 school districts did not arrive at this decision lightly or without much deliberation and advisement by our partners in Public Health,” said District Superintendent Thomas Burns. “We are working diligently to provide answers to the many questions we know our parents, staff, and community will have. We are establishing plans and procedures to address concerns about continuing instruction. The districts will have those answers in the coming days.”