Central Unified Board Extends School Closings Through End of School Year

Central Unified School District has joined with most other Valley school districts in extending school closures through the end of the school year in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Central Unified board voted at a special board Thursday evening to extend the closures, which began March 16. The board had voted at a special meeting last month to extend the closures until May 4.

Fresno Unified trustees voted on Wednesday to keep schools closed through the end of the school year in June, which was recommended this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Newsom, Thurmond, and other state leaders emphasized that while school buildings may be closed, school is still in session through distance learning during the coronavirus crisis.

Clovis Unified isn’t ready to give up on reopening schools before June. The board decided Wednesday not to extend the closures past May 4, for now at least. The board will have time to reconsider its decision prior to the scheduled reopening.

Clovis Unified Offers Box Meals

Clovis Unified will not provide meals during spring break, which begins Monday.

On Friday the district provided 3,000 boxes with fruits, vegetables and pre-packaged proteins and snacks, including cheese, jerky and crackers, to help feed families next week.

This week’s school meals also included a surprise: a candy-filled plastic Easter egg, provided by the city of Clovis, which had to cancel its annual Easter Egg Hunt because of the shelter-at-home orders prompted by the pandemic.

The city of Clovis provided Easter eggs for Clovis Unified grab-and-go meals this week. (Clovis Unified School District)

Fresno, Central Provide Meals Next Week

Fresno Unified will distribute meals next week except on Friday, when volunteers will take over because the day is a district holiday.

Central, which has a two-week spring break, will not be serving daily but will provide multiple meals at the seven school distribution sites, with three breakfasts and three lunches per child on Mondays and two breakfasts and two lunches on Thursdays, the district said.