School District limits activities, preps for long closure

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District today released this statement:

Dear Community Members, 

As you are aware, circumstances are changing daily with what we know about the coronavirus. We are taking new precautions to keep our Valley safe. We have no new known cases and are taking preventative measures to limit social interactions. Further precautionary steps we are taking include: 

We are immediately postponing or canceling all nonrequired/non-essential trips and group activities for students and adults until April 15 when we will revisit the status of all events. These activities include 

• Field trips 
• Conferences 
• Non-essential meetings 
• All sports events and practices 
• Larger scale events o Rallies or Assemblies o Performances 

More added measures during the day include: 

• Practicing social distancing as much as possible 
• Not accepting volunteers or other visitors on campus at this time 

We will continue to take extra preventative measures, including: 

• Wiping down common surfaces daily 
• Reinforce frequent hand washing with soap and water 
• Excluding recent travelers (staff and students) from CDC advisory countries for 14 days from our campuses. Please note this list is frequently updated AND GROWING 
• Requiring sick students and staff stay home 

PLEASE BEGIN PREPARING FOR A PROLONGED SCHOOL CLOSURE IF NEEDED We are taking preliminary steps to plan for a school closure if deemed necessary. While this is not a current decision, as rapidly as things are changing, it could be. We request you create family emergency plans now should such a scenario present itself. As we have seen in other communities, have a plan ready for at least two weeks, understanding the exact length of time might change. 

We will be meeting with other Sonoma County school districts in the upcoming days to determine the next steps in safety and preventative measures, which may include prolonged school closures. Please check your email, phone, and district web site frequently to keep up to speed on events that are changing daily. 

Please continue to access local medical and city/county websites for the most up-to-date and accurate information: 

• Sonoma Valley Hospital https://www.sonomavalleyhospital.org/coronavirus-2019/ 
• City of Sonoma https://www.sonomacity.org/coronavirus-resources/ 
• County of Sonoma https://socoemergency.org/emergency/coronavirus/