School Closure: What Finley families need to know

KENNEWICK, Wash.-- More than 900 students in the Finley School District are among the hundreds of thousands across the state of Washington that will be forced to stay home starting Tuesday, after Gov. Jay Inslee ordered schools to close in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The district, made of Finley Elementary, Finley Middle School, and River View High School, is one of the few organized government agencies in the unincorporated town of 6,000, and it tends to be a central focus of much of the community's activities.

Like every other school district in the state, administrators and faculty at the Finley School District are scrambling to come up with a plan to stay connected to students during the unexpected six week closure, while also following Inslee's directive to reduce social interactions.

Finley joined the rest of the South Central Athletic Conference in postponing school events starting March 12th. That included athletic events, field trips, concerts, and other events that required travel into or outside of Finley.

After Inslee's announcement on Friday, district officials determined that it would follow the governor's directive to close starting Tuesday. Classes will run as usual on Monday, March 16, however, some programs won't be available to students on Monday, including after school care.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) will be available in the morning for before school activities, but will not be open after school.

District administrators are working to establish ways to meet the needs of children in the school district, to include nutrition services, childcare, and other programs.

While there will be no classroom instruction between March 17 and April 24th, administrators say the district office will be fully staffed through at least Friday, March 20.

As administrators determine who to deliver meals and other services for families in the district, they will provide updates on the school district website and social media pages.