COVID-19 School Closure

Dear Willamina Community,

Our state and much of the world are now dealing with a public health crisis, unlike anything we as educators have ever seen before.

Since the COVID-19 coronavirus first emerged, we have followed the guidance of our health agency partner in making preventative changes in our schools and programs. As the situation continues to evolve, health experts now believe the number of confirmed cases in the Willamette Valley will grow. While we do not have any cases in Willamina, we believe it is time for us to act more urgently to protect our students, employees and community.

After considerable collaboration with our surrounding educational partners, and following Governor Brown’s announcement, Willamina Public School will extend spring break, beginning Monday, March 16 with a plan for students to return to schools on Wednesday, April 1. 

During the closure, all school-based sports and extracurricular activities will also be cancelled, this includes practices. Staff will return on Monday, March 30. The state will assess and either confirm or adjust return dates by Wednesday, March 25. Beginning Monday, March 16, and until we reopen schools on April 1, schools will be closed to students. We are determining next steps for staff and will communicate those via email.

Schools are essential to communities. We know extending spring break will cause difficulties for many families who rely on their schools for meals, mental health supports and a safe place to be during the day. For this reason we do not make this decision lightly. Extending spring break is a preventative measure intended to slow the rate of spread of the coronavirus and flatten the curve of the virus’s impact on our citizens and health care systems.

Our Nutrition Staff will continue to work and provide bagged lunches to the students in our community during the entire closure, March 16-20, March 23-27, and March 30-31. They will set up at five separate locations throughout Willamina and Grand Ronde. A separate “robo-call” will go out to all families announcing these locations.

Given the seriousness of the current situation, we firmly believe that this is the right decision, given all the available information. Keeping the best interests of our students, staff and community at the center is our top priority.

We will continue to monitor this very dynamic public health situation and will provide an update, via our school website, www.willamina.k12.or.us, during the course of the extended break. 

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Carrie Zimbrick, Superintendent