Thermopolis schools will not reopen this spring

An emergency meeting of the Hot Springs County School District Board of Directors resulted in all schools within the district remaining closed through the end of the current school year.

The Friday afternoon meeting was done electronically and streamed live on the district’s webpage as well as their Facebook page to ensure as many people as possible could watch as the board made its decision.

While regular classes are not being held in the buildings, the district will continue with the distance learning they have been doing since the initial closure.

The board agreed they would like to be able to have small groups on campus during the summer, however doing that will require an adaptive learning plan be approved by the Wyoming Department of Education.

School nurse Brenna Huckfeldt will be going through the cleanliness practices for the schools and making changes as necessary to be sure the facilities are safe for anyone.

A plan will also need to be approved by Hot Springs County Health Officer, Dr. Vernon Miller.

One of the questions that came up during the meeting was the LightsOn Summer Program and whether or not it will be available for students this summer.

Currently, they are working on a plan to provide the program and summer school may be combined with LightsOn.