Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno County Public Health to Immanuel Schools of Reedley: Stop In-Person Instruction Now
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 4 years ago on
August 14, 2020

Share

The Fresno County Public Health Department on Thursday issued a health officer order to Immanuel Schools of Reedley to immediately close schools to in-person instruction, which began Thursday morning, or face sanctions and possible closure.

Violating the order could result in fines of up to $1,000 a day and other penalties, liabilities for the school district and school board, and possible forced closure.

Violating the order could result in fines of up to $1,000 a day and other penalties, liabilities for the school district and school board, and possible forced closure, the department said in a news release.

Immanuel Schools is a private, Christian K-12 district that was founded as a Bible school in 1926 by members of the Mennonite Brethren Church, according to its website.

The schools’ spokesman and chief financial officer, Andy Souza, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. A tweet posted by ABC30 reporter Corin Hoggard of a letter to parents indicated that the school would not grant media interviews.

Concerns Raised about Reopening

The Public Health Department reported that it had received numerous messages from parents, teachers, and concerned community members about the schools’ reopening, which violates the state mandate ordering the continued closure of schools in counties like Fresno that are on the state’s monitoring list because of high rates of COVID-19 infections.

Schools can reopen once the counties are off the watchlist for 14 consecutive days.

“Immanuel Schools and all Fresno County Schools have an obligation to protect the health and safety of all students and faculty,” Public Health Director David Pomaville said in the news release. “We will continue to work with our schools to provide guidance and help ensure that any reopening is done in accordance with best practices that protect the health and safety of our students and community, and is done in accordance with state requirements.”

Schools can reopen once the counties are off the watchlist for 14 consecutive days.

Keeping schools closed is necessary to slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, which is sweeping across Fresno County and putting pressure on the county’s healthcare system, said Dr. Rais Vohra, who as interim health officer signed the order directing Immanuel Schools to close.

“We are in regular communication with all schools, so they understand this situation and we are all monitoring trends together,” Vohra said in the news release. “The community should understand that every decision they make to stay safe is a step in the right direction to helping reopen schools.”

Fresno County Health Officer Order



FCDPHHealthOfficerOrderClo (Text)

DON'T MISS

How About an Honest Conversation About the Range of Light Monument Proposal?

DON'T MISS

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

DON'T MISS

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

DON'T MISS

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

DON'T MISS

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

DON'T MISS

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

DON'T MISS

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

DON'T MISS

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

DON'T MISS

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

UP NEXT

Who Are Fresno State’s ‘Heroes’ in Health and Human Services Services?

UP NEXT

Reedley College Celebrates Opening of Gleaming New Performing Arts Center

UP NEXT

Volunteers Came Back to Nonprofits in 2023, After the Pandemic Tanked Participation

UP NEXT

New Study: Proposed Trump Tariffs Could Cost US Consumers $78 Billion a Year

UP NEXT

Riders Stuck in Midair for Over 2 Hours on Knott’s Berry Farm Ride

UP NEXT

Measures A and Q Still Winning. Clovis Unified Trustee Candidate Extends Lead.

UP NEXT

Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital

UP NEXT

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

2 hours ago

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

2 hours ago

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

2 hours ago

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

2 hours ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

2 hours ago

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

2 hours ago

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

2 hours ago

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

3 hours ago

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

3 hours ago

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

3 hours ago

How About an Honest Conversation About the Range of Light Monument Proposal?

It sometimes seems that we have lost the ability to truly communicate with one another. It is not so much what we say to one another, but ho...

48 minutes ago

48 minutes ago

How About an Honest Conversation About the Range of Light Monument Proposal?

1 hour ago

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

1 hour ago

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

2 hours ago

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

2 hours ago

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

2 hours ago

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

2 hours ago

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

2 hours ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend