Lincolnshire's Stevenson High School closing until at least April 6 to prevent spread of COVID-19

Saying it's necessary to safeguard the health and wellness of the students and staff, Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire will close for at least the next three weeks, District 125 Superintendent Eric Twadell announced Thursday.

The closure, intended to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, begins Friday and tentatively will remain in effect until April 6. That includes the school's spring break, scheduled for March 23-27.

"While we know this is an unprecedented decision, these are unprecedented times," Twadell wrote in an email to the school community. "While we have not been notified of any staff or students being diagnosed with COVID-19, we believe the evidence that makes it increasingly clear that it is better for schools to close sooner rather than later to slow the spread of the disease.

"Although it seems that the coronavirus has primarily impacted people 60 and older, the reality is that even if our students are less likely to be adversely affected, they still could be carriers of the disease," he added. "Closing the school reduces the incubation effect that occurs when 4,300 students, and more than 600 adults gather in the school on a daily basis."

Beginning Monday, the school will begin remote e-learning days allowing students to receive lessons online. Students should look for an email from their teachers beginning Monday morning with specific directions for the day, and be ready to log in to e-learning programs at the start of each regularly scheduled class period, Twadell wrote.

Attendance will be taken each day, and daily instructions, directions and activities will be sequenced by each teacher and their curriculum teams, he said.

Students will be allowed into the school between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday to collect items they may have left in their lockers. The school will be closed beginning Saturday.

"The decision to close school is not one we are making lightly," Twadell wrote. "We are fully aware of the complications that this will cause in the lives of our students and their families - and for our faculty and staff as well. Whatever the downsides of closing school may be, we believe that as a public school we have a shared responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff and the larger Stevenson community."