Important Coronavirus Update from Kennewick School District

Friday, March 13, the Kennewick School District released the following statement. We reprint it in it's entirety:

• "Benton-Franklin Health District is not recommending school closures or cancellations of events for the general public. In addition, neither the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) nor Gov. Inslee has directed schools to close outside of King, Pierce and Snohomish County. 
• OSPI is encouraging all districts in the state to begin contingency planning for possible school closures. Our cross-departmental KSD planning team is in the process of planning for that possibility. We will communicate updates to our community as things evolve.
• OSPI announced that state testing for the 2019-20 school year is cancelled. This includes the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS), the Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement (WA-AIM), and WIDA Alternate ACCESS for English learners. If schools are not impacted by closures, they are encouraged to continue administering the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) until the end of the testing window, March 27. This is subject to change based on additional closure announcements.

We are also aware that some districts in the region have begun cancelling events, travel, etc. The superintendents are in constant communication, and we are having discussions as a group and with our respective school boards about these issues. As of this moment, we are business as usual, but this may change; you can expect communication on any changes or updates. 

It is our goal to maintain a calm, positive and productive learning environment for our students. We want to assure you that we will update you on any changes that may occur to activities, events, athletics and school closures."