(Oakland) Riverside Schools Superintendent Tim Mitchell released this statement following the announcement the district will be closing for 10-days beginning on Tuesday, March 17. All activities will be cancelled during the closure.
Mitchells says after consulting with our community partners, and as a precautionary action, Riverside has decided to close the school and cancel all school activities beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, through Friday, March 27, 2020. This was not an easy decision, due to the short and long-term effects it will have on our staff, students and community. However, given the increasing number of cases of COVID-19 and the high probability of community spread this is the right time to close.
We have chosen to have school on Monday, March 16, 2020, to allow teachers to connect with students and to provide information so they can continue engaging in learning during the closure. If your child is unable to attend school on Monday, we will get information out on where to find the needed information. Buildings will be closed for the remainder of the week, beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020. Staff will take the time to continue the deep cleaning of all buildings. Small gatherings such as the Regular School Board Meeting will still be held at 6:30 PM at Carson Elementary in Carson at 6:30 PM Monday, March 16, 2020.
Riverside will continue to discuss plans for moving forward, immediately focusing on the weeks of March 17 – March 27. Beyond that, we will operate week-to-week and will plan to communicate with parents regularly. As you know, the situation is evolving daily, sometimes hourly.
Riverside will communicate more information very soon about food availability in our communities for those in need. We will establish various pick-up locations and dates/times. Providing support for all our students and staff is always a top priority.
Riverside will continue to communicate on a regular basis with updates, and we will do our best to support our students, staff, and community through this unprecedented time. We will continue to address any questions as they come up and share our plans with you as they develop.
Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and understanding during this difficult time.
