Superintendent Balow Releases Statement on COVID-19 Virus

Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow joined Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and representatives from the Wyoming Department of Health, Homeland Security and the Wyoming Military Department to discuss COVID-19, commonly referred to as coronavirus, and plans to be ready should cases of the virus show up in Wyoming.

Superintendent Balow, at Tuesday’s news conference, emphasized that school districts around the state would not be penalized financially should schools close to combat the spread of the virus. She said that she’s reached out to school district superintendents, as well as the state’s associations for school nurses and custodians.

Balow said that if a school in Wyoming were to become affected by the virus and would have to close for a period of time, they should contact her office at the Wyoming Department of Education, and work with staff on a waiver to ensure that the school district receive full funding for the school year. Balow closed by saying that it is her responsibility in state law to work directly with local school districts to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of students, teachers, and other employees, and that she will do what she can to avoid any districts being penalized financially for taking measures to protect their students.