Dave Jeppesen, the director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said he recommends keeping K-12 schools in the state open at this time despite concerns over the coronavirus.

“Closing K-12 actually does not help stop the spread of the coronavirus and in fact in some cases, it’s been seen to accelerate the spread of the coronavirus,” said Jeppesen during an update to the Idaho State Board of Education on Friday.

Closing schools could create problems for the workforce and health care systems, according to Jeppesen, as some providers or employees would need to stay home from work to take care of their kids.

School closures could also force kids to spend more time with high-risk populations, like the elderly, since grandparents often care for children who are not in school.

Although the current recommendation is to keep K-12 schools open, Jeppesen said that could change if Idaho experiences a large increase in cases, or if community spread starts to take place.

During the teleconference meeting, Superintendent Sherri Ybarra reiterated Jeppesen’s statements. She explained the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance to keep K-12 schools in the state open at this time.

Since Idaho is a local control state, Ybarra said school closure decisions ultimately land in the hands of individual districts, as evidenced in Moscow, where administrators announced a two-week closure to its schools following spring break.

Ybarra said the State Department of Education is helping districts prepare in case they decide to switch to online classes. Waivers can be provided to schools that are not meeting average daily attendance or for annual assessments.

Tomtas may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2294. Follow her on Twitter @jtomtas.