Governor Orders all K-12 Schools in the State to Close

Governor Tony Evers has asked the Wisconsin Department of
Health Services to issue an agency order mandating all K-12 Public and Private
Schools in Wisconsin close as the state continues to contain the spread of
COVID-19.

Evers made the announcement late Friday, which said that
the mandated closure will begin next Wednesday (March 18^th) and last
until at least April 6^th. A number of school districts in the state
have already closed, or announced plans to close in wake of a number of new positive
tests for the disease in Wisconsin this week.

The Governor said in the release that “closing our schools
is not a decision I made lightly, but keeping our kids, our educators, our families,
and our communities safe is a top priority as we continue to prevent further
spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.” Evers acknowledged that many families rely on
schools to access food and care on a daily basis, and said that the state is
going to continue working to “ensure kids and families have the resources and
support they need while schools are closed.”