Sacramento: California’s State Superintendent Tony Thurmond recommended on Tuesday that the state’s public schools prepare to keep campuses closed while continuing to provide distance learning to students through the end of their school year.

Thurmond, who was elected just over a year ago, wrote in a letter to the states county superintendents of schools,  “Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing, it appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year.”  

The Department of Education clarified on their website that Thurmond only made a recommendation and it was not a directive. The decision will ultimately be up to local school districts or health departments to decide whether school campuses should remain open or closed.

“The need for safety through social distancing warrants that we continue to keep our school campuses closed to students during this pandemic,” wrote Thurmond. 

Parents and students in the Temecula Unified School District received an email late Tuesday evening from district staff, “While the message is not an official order, it does not come as a surprise as we see the health models of the virus spread for our area growing well into May.  At the current time, TVUSD’s plans remain the same as previously communicated.”  

The Temecula schools and district offices are physically closed ‪until April 30, 2020.  Beginning the week of ‪April 6, 2020, TVUSD students will be offered the opportunity to engage in distance learning educational opportunities.  

The district email continued with,  “We are taking in guidance and advice from multiple agencies and authorities on a daily and sometimes hourly basis  Our ultimate goal is to ensure our students are provided quality instruction and relevant experiences while maintaining a focus on safety and well-being for all.”

This story will be updated as more schools in Southwest Riverside County respond to Thurmond’s recommendation.