Panhandle Schools to close for the rest of the school year

SIDNEY, NE - All schools in the panhandle will close for the rest of the school year, the Panhandle COVID-19 Unified Command announced Tuesday afternoon. 

All schools will operate in an alternative learning environment for the remainder of the 2019/2020 school year. 

Traditional graduation ceremonies scheduled for May will also not be held. 

Schools will be working to determine appropriate alternative methods for honoring the class of 2020 in each community, according to a news release.

In Mid-March, panhandle schools decided to close until at least March 27. That date was then pushed back to May 1.

Yesterday, Governor Pete Ricketts issued a directed health measure for the entire panhandle. That meant schools would have been closed until at least May 11.