Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Spring Membership Drive


Donate now to support local news and music on WBOI

Allen County Schools Announce Closures in Midst of COVID-19

ELLA ABBOTT
/
WBOI
Representatives from the Allen County school districts and health department spoke to the press at the Grand Fort Wayne Convention Center on Friday, March 13, 2020.

Allen County school and health department officials met today to announce closures of the county’s public schools for the next month. Ella Abbott reports.

Under the guidance of the Allen County Department of Health, schools around the county have decided to close their doors for the next month in an attempt to fight the coronavirus.

The decision comes two weeks ahead of the scheduled spring break for some of the districts and the closure will last until April 13, unless they see fit to close for longer.

Northwest Allen County Schools superintendent Chris Himsel says the decision was not made lightly.

“We’re always approaching it from the standpoint that it is best to be in school and stay in a routine. And, so, that’s why it’s taken a great deal of discernment to be able to get there.”

Fort Wayne Community Schools says their focus will be on making sure that students who are meant to graduate this spring will stay on track to do so.

The district's Chief Operating Officer, Charles Cammack Jr, says they will have staff at the schools Monday through Wednesday of next week to determine how to move forward.

All of the districts say they are still working on creating plans to keep students who rely on their lunches fed. Dr. Deborah McMahan, the Allen County health commissioner, says they are also working to figure out how to help families with children who can’t be left home alone.

Ella Abbott is a multimedia reporter for 89.1 WBOI. She is a strong believer in the ways audio storytelling can engage an audience and create a sensory experience.
Related Content