Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber today (Friday) provided an update on the district’s plans moving forward, with regard to the COVID-19 virus. Barber said a lot has changed since he and District Nurse Laura Freund sent out a letter explaining what the district was doing, and what parents/guardians and staff can do to stay safe.

“Obviously,” he said, “We have a lot of disappointed students who were planning to travel to Disney World in two weeks.  We are working to see what can be done in the future with this trip. Other nationwide events have been cancelled due to the virus, most of which are national and international events.

“In regards to Atlantic Schools, the recommendations remain the same: wash hands, disinfect, cover your mouth and stay home if you feel ill. We know this is a fluid situation and we will continue to monitor this daily.”

The Iowa Department of Public Health has reported that there are no cases of community spread in Iowa or the Omaha area.  All 16 confirmed cases in Iowa are linked to travel. Barber said “Both the IDPH and CDC have sent out recommendations for schools and update them frequently.  We will work closely with our local Public Health and Emergency Management and if recommendations change, we will take the appropriate steps and actions.

“After consulting with these professionals, we will still be having our High School musical (“Little Shop of Horrors”) performances starting this (Friday) evening.” Performances are as follows: Tonight & Saturday night – 7:30-p.m.; Sunday matinee’ – 2:30-p.m. Admission is $5. Activity tickets will not be accepted.

Barber says “The auditorium will be disinfected after each performance. Our student council blood drive and the Mental Health symposium will be postponed and rescheduled at a later time.  We will evaluate the situation on Monday and send another communication to update everyone.”