Granite County to close schools starting March 18

GRANITE COUNTY – As per a letter on the Facebook page of Drummond Public Schools, Granite County schools will be closing Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The closure will last a minimum of two weeks.

The letter, posted to the group Sunday morning and signed by Superintendent Christina Barbachano, indicates that the Granite County Health Department ordered the closure. While it does not state that Philipsburg Public Schools is included, the closure of those schools is inferred by the letter.

Barbachano’s letter indicated that Drummond would not have class Monday so that her staff and administration can plan for the closure. Her complete letter can be viewed below.

Dustin Muhly, Granite County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, will meet with the Granite County Commissioners Tuesday morning to discuss how COVID-19 (aka the Coronavirus) may affect the county. Commissioner Bill Slaughter confirmed Sunday that the session would include discussion of the school closures.

Philipsburg Public Schools Superintendent Kevin St. John released this statement to the Flint Creek Courier Sunday afternoon.

"Philipsburg Schools will remain OPEN this Monday and Tuesday (3/16 and 3/17). At this time, the school board has not taken action to close the schools.

The Granite County Board of Health is meeting Tuesday, 3/17, to discuss school closures with the intent to order all school closures in Granite County starting Wednesday, March 18 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Philipsburg School staff will continue to prepare and plan for a prolonged shut down over the next few days. Details regarding food services and distance learning will be shared as they are finalized.

The school and community are working together to ensure this disruption to our daily lives is as smooth as possible. If you are uncomfortable sending your child or children to school, please call the office to work with school staff to meet your family needs.On Friday the Philipsburg Public Schools Facebook page had a post regarding the Coronavirus prior to Sunday’s announcement. It read, in part, “Our standard practices of hand washing, hand sanitizer and using Clorox wipes help to control the spread of diseases in our school. We have stepped up the frequency of these practices as well as adding sanitizing duties for the custodial staff. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home. This will help to keep our school community healthy.”