Updated: Council Bluffs Schools Will Close On March 17
After consulting with our community partners and our Board of Education officers over the past 24 hours, and as a precautionary action, the Council Bluffs Community Schools will close and all school activities will be suspended beginning Tuesday, March 17. 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 in Council Bluffs, we have decided that this is the right time to close.
We have chosen to have school on Monday, our normal early-dismissal day, to allow teachers to connect with students and to provide information and learning materials to students so they have the opportunity to continue engaging in learning during the closure. Elementary students will bring home a bag with all necessary materials, including directions for accessing online materials. Students in grades 2-12 will also bring home Chromebooks and chargers. Specific instructions will be sent to middle and high school students via email. A link will be available for all students to access materials through the school district’s website www.cb-schools.org. While these learning activities are not required or graded, they will provide students an opportunity to continue their learning routine during the closure.
If your child is unable to attend school on Monday, parents will be able to pick up student materials and any medication for your child on Monday from 3:30-5:30 pm at your child’s school. The building will be closed for the remainder of the week, beginning at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 16.
We will continue to discuss our plans moving forward, immediately focusing on the week of March 17 - March 20. Iowa Governor Reynolds has recommended all Iowa Schools close through April 14, and we follow that recommendation for now. As you know, the situation is evolving daily, sometimes hourly.
Please read in another story about food availability in our community for those in need, including pick-up locations and dates/times. Providing support for all of our students and staff is always a top priority.
Our closure also means the 21st Century after school clubs and Kids & Company School-Aged Childcare will be closed, beginning Tuesday, March 17. Please make plans for childcare.
We 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 realize you may have questions about topics beyond this website story - we do, too. We will continue to address these questions as they come in and share our plans with you as they develop.