A small public school near Visalia remained open Tuesday despite the state Department of Education saying all California schools should “be closed to students at this time” as officials try to stem the spreading coronavirus.

Outside Creek Elementary School, a rural school with 100 students, remained in session Wednesday and plans to remain open all week, school staff confirmed. Superintendent Derrick Bravo has not responded to numerous requests for comment explaining his decision to remain open since The Fresno Bee first reported the story Monday.

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Nearly every school in California remained dark this week following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order that Californians stay home to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement Tuesday to The Bee, the California Department of Education said every school should shut down.

“In order to fully comply with the Governor’s “stay home” order and social distancing guidelines, we would advise that all schools be closed to students at this time,” officials said.

“We have worked with the Governor and his team to ensure that it is possible for schools to close without having to worry about the loss of funding. Through executive order, our schools now have the flexibility to educate students through distance learning models, while keeping the safety of students and staff as the priority.”

While Bravo hasn’t responded to questions this week, he has posted a message on Facebook, saying in part:

“CDC states: Short to medium closures do not impact the spread of the virus. In other countries, those places who closed school (e.g., Hong Kong) have not had more success in reducing spread than those that did not (e.g., Singapore).”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said there “maybe some impact” to combat the spread of COVID-19 if schools are closed for 8 to 20 weeks.

Meanwhile, Tulare County health officials on Wednesday reported a total of 18 confirmed cases.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab here.

This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 6:07 PM.