Gov. DeWine extends Ohio school closures to May 1 during coronavirus pandemic

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the order to close schools statewide through April 3 will now be extended into May.

The Governor announced during Monday’s press conference from Columbus that he is signing an executive order to have schools closed through Friday, May 1.

Watch the complete press conference here:

BREAKING NEWS
Gov. DeWine updates Ohio’s latest coronavirus cases after pushing back against FDA for mask sanitizing system. https://bit.ly/33UCRWe
Posted by Cleveland 19 News on Monday, March 30, 2020

After May 1, a decision will be made as to whether schools can reopen for the remainder of the academic year, if the shutdown should be extended again, or if a total cancellation is necessary.

During the closure, DeWine is urging schools to provide at-home lessons remotely if feasible. He also mentioned school lessons could be extended into the summer.

K-12: Our original order to close school buildings was for 3 weeks. We're giving an additional order that will take this to May 1, which is a Friday. We will reevaluate as we get closer to that date. pic.twitter.com/OyFNtSK8Lu
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 30, 2020

Gov. DeWine already signed House Bill 197 on March 27.

Included in Ohio’s first major piece of coronavirus relief legislation was a mandate that waived school testing and graduation requirements for the 2019-2020 academic year.

As of Monday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health said at least 39 individuals have died from the coronavirus with 1,933 cases confirmed statewide.

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