Gorman Elementary School will be closed for two weeks, in accord with a decision by Los Angeles County.

All decisions related to corona virus spread control are clearly subject to change. We will keep our readers updated.

UPDATE—Lebec, Gorman, Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club, CA (Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 9 p.m.)— Superintendent Sara Haflich texted tonight that El Tejon Unified School District is closing “All of our schools…starting this Wednesday through April 14. We will take the next two days to get everything prepared.”

The Kern County Superintendent of Schools will be holding a joint press conference with the Kern County Public Health Department.

UPDATE—Lebec, Gorman, Frazier Park, Pine Mountain Club, CA (Friday, March 13 5 p.m.)—As noted earlier today, letters have gone out to Gorman Elementary School parents that the school will close until March 30. Gorman School is located in Los Angeles County, which is taking aggressive steps to inhibit spread of COVID 19. You can see a letter to parents by Gorman Joint School District Superintendent/Principal Johannis Andrews below in an earlier post (1:20 p.m.).

At this time, Kern County has no reported cases of the disease. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools has suggested keeping schools open, but activities such as sports, dances and events will be postponed. Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School and El Tejon Unified School District schools (Frazier Park Elementary, Frazier Mountain High School and El Tejon Middle School) will stay open

Peak to Peak Principal Jeffrey Fenske said that Peak to Peak field trips will be postponed for now. He sent out an informative note to parents about the school’s response to COVID 19 cautions: “Peak to Peak will suspend all non-essential out-of-county travel effective immediately through the end of March or until further notice. Additionally, we will cancel or postpone all out-of-county and local field trips,” he wrote, adding: “The guidelines recommend that all events over 250 people be cancelled and that events with less than 250 people utilize suggested social distancing standards. The social distancing recommendations state that “smaller gatherings held in venues that do not allow social distancing of six (6) feet per person should be postponed or canceled.” Suggestions include: Staggering activities (e.g. lunch, recess); Adding distance between where individuals sit or stand around tables or desks; Avoiding physical contact such as shaking hands.

See the letter to parents from ETUSD Superintendent Sara Haflich below, posted at 12:30 p.m. today.

UPDATE—Lebec, Gorman, Frazier Park, CA (Friday, March 13 2:30 p.m.)—Principal/Superintendent Johannis Andrews confirmed today that Gorman Elementary School will be closed until March 30. Spring Break begins on April 6.
Here is a statement from Mr. Andrews regarding details of the school closure. See his earlier letter to parents below (1:20 p.m.):
•Gorman is aware that this closure will result in a loss of instructional time in the classroom. We have carefully considered options for providing education remotely during the closure, but have determined that it is not feasible at this point. One of the primary responsibilities of public schools is to provide equitable learning opportunities for all students, and not everyone has home internet access and the necessary devices for online learning.
•We understand that school closures have significant impacts on our students and families, and we hope to resume normal operations as soon as possible.  Thank you for your patience, trust and understanding as we work together during this challenging time.

UPDATE—Lebec, Gorman, Frazier Park, CA (Friday, March 13 1:20 p.m.)—Gorman School has just confirmed that they have decided to close schools until March 30. School will resume March 30 unless circumstances change. Attached is the letter from Gorman School Principal Joe Andrews. See below that for the letter from El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent.

March 13, 2020
Dear Gorman Parents and Students,

The health and well-being of students and staff are always our top priority. You may have heard that Los Angeles County has declared a local health emergency in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). It’s a good time for all of us to become prepared, but not to panic. There are no confirmed cases at Gorman School.

Since the COVID-19 coronavirus first emerged, we have followed the guidance of the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the California Department of Public Health in making preventative changes in our schools and programs. As this situation continues to evolve, the Los Angeles County Office of Education has now recommended school closures throughout Los Angeles County.

The Gorman Joint School District will be closed, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020 with a plan for students to return to school on Monday, March 30, 2020.

During this time, all school activities, including athletic events and PTSO events, are cancelled.​

During the break, we encourage everyone in our community to follow recommended practices by avoiding large gatherings, washing hands frequently, and covering mouths when coughing or sneezing. If you are concerned about symptoms, please consult with a doctor.

We will continue to monitor this very dynamic public health situation and will plan to provide updates during the course of this extended break. All District correspondence will be sent via email, posted on our app and our website, as well as posted on our school Facebook pages.

Thank you for your support and cooperation during this time.
Sincerely,  Johannis Andrews, Superintendent/Principal

Lebec, Frazier Park, CA (Friday, March 13 12:30 p.m.)—El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent Sara Haflich issued a letter to parents and students this afternoon, after meeting with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office in Bakersfield. The meeting is a gathering of the county’s school superintendents with health officials to determine prudent steps to take during this time of health concerns for our students and extended communities. Here is the letter that is being sent home with students today:

March 13, 2020

Dear ETUSD Families,

I wanted to provide an update on the status of ETUSD in regard to the COVID – 19 virus. ETUSD, along with all other districts in Kern County, are under the guidance of KCSOS (Kern County Superintendent of Schools) along with the Kern Public Health Department. A meeting was held this morning to discuss this issue. Due to the fact that there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus within Kern County, along with multiple other reasons, all Kern County Schools will remain open at this time. Therefore, all ETUSD schools will remain open; however all extra-curricular activities will be canceled from now through Spring Break. This includes sports, field trips, banquets, dances, etc. A determination at that time will be made as to whether all activities can start back up or continue to be canceled.

Please remember, parents always have the right to keep their child home from school. If you choose to do this, please communicate with the school office in order to place your child on a work contract so they can continue their education from home and do not fall behind.

I also want to inform everyone that ETUSD’s administration and teachers do have a plan in place in the event that the schools do get closed down in order to keep your child educated from home. The system that will be in place will be similar to your child being placed on independent study. More information on this will be provided at that time.

I know there are various different opinions on this issue, and I will certainly continue to keep all parents informed as anything changes.

Sincerely,
Sara Haflich  —El Tejon Unified School District

This is part of the March 13, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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