This California public school might be the last in the state to close amid coronavirus

A Tulare County elementary school — believed to be the only public school in California to remain open in April amid the coronavirus pandemic — has closed its doors, The Bee confirmed late Wednesday.

Tim Hire, the Tulare County Office of Education superintendent, said Outside Creek Elementary School is closed “until further notice.”

He did not elaborate or immediately respond to follow-up questions.

A person who answered the school’s telephone Wednesday also said the school was closed but referred questions to Superintendent Derrick Bravo. He did not respond to requests for comment.

It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday how long the school has been closed, why officials decided to close the school, or what distance learning plans may be in place.

Outside Creek, a rural school near Visalia with about 100 students, remained open after the California Department of Education said every school should shut down to comply with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shelter-in-place order.

When the school was open, parents had the choice to keep their kids at home for independent study.

Bravo explained his reasoning to keep the school open in a Facebook post 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).”

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

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 on our website.

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 7:14 PM.