U.S. military and school officials have decided to close Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools for the rest of the school year, with the possible exception of South Korea, reports Stars & Stripes.
DODEA runs 162 schools overseas for about 71,000 pre-K through high school students worldwide.
"In direct and close coordination with our senior military partners, the decision was made to keep school buildings closed to students for the remainder of the 2019/2020 school year and to maintain digital teaching and learning in all DODEA schools across the world," DODEA director Thomas Brady said in a letter to staff Friday.
DODEA shut down schools in hot spots in late February, including Daegu, South Korea, and Vicenza and Aviano in Italy.
The last of the schools to close was at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on March 25.
In South Korea, schools could reopen "in the coming weeks" as conditions there have considerably improved.
"In all cases, we were able to transition from a closed school to the first learning activities being sent out in four days or fewer," said Patrick Martin, the acting chief of education operations at DODEA.
"I think that was a testament to the hard work on the part of our teachers and leaders in the field."
DODEA-Europe spokesman Stephen Smith said in a statement: "We know that this decision is disappointing to our staff, students and families alike.
"While some host nations are making decisions to slowly open up aspects of their economies, given the relatively short amount of time remaining in the current school year, DODEA and military leadership agree that this was the prudent decision for our schools.
"The health and safety of our staff, students, and communities is our highest priority."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.