By LEANN BURKE
lburke@dcherald.com

As of 11:30 a.m. today, local school officials had not closed schools.

Dubois County superintendents will have a joint meeting with the Dubois County Health Department’s emergency response team early this afternoon. More information will be available after that. The Herald will update online and have a story in Saturday’s paper following that meeting.

Greater Jasper Superintendent Tracy Lorey said via text this morning that she and her staff are working with the Dubois County Health Department to make a decision going forward. In the meantime, the corporation is taking preventative measures. In a letter posted to the corporation’s Facebook page Thursday, Lorey said the corporation is monitoring non-essential, extra-curricular travel and school-sponsored events on a case-by-case basis according to guidance from the Indiana Department of Education, the Indiana State Department of Health and the Dubois County Health Department. The corporation also suspended access to school buildings for volunteers and outside visitors.

Northeast Dubois Superintendent Bill Hochgesang and Southeast Dubois Superintendent Jamie Pund said via text this morning that they were monitoring the situation and would have more information this afternoon.

Administrators at Southwest Dubois were in meetings this morning discussing plans going forward. More information will be available this afternoon.

In a Thursday letter to parents, North Spencer Superintendent Dan Scherry said the corporation’s administrative leadership team “has been in constant communication” regarding emergency plans and precautionary measures. In the event of a school closure, the letter said, “some sort of instruction will continue to be provided to students.”

In the letter, Scherry urged the community to err on the side of stability and be discerning about the information they trust and share regarding the coronavirus.

The Catholic Diocese of Evansville issued a statement this morning that included information regarding Catholic schools. Holy Trinity Catholic School, the only Catholic school in the county, is clear to remain open, pending collaboration with the county health department. However, all extracurricular meetings, school-sponsored events, fundraisers, field trips and non-essential meetings are canceled through Monday, April 6.