Sullivan County Orders Schools Closed for 3 Weeks

A day after declaring a state of emergency in Sullivan County, County Manager Joshua Potosek is ordering the region's eight school districts to close for three weeks through April 3.

The order applies to Eldred, Fallsburg, Liberty, Livingston Manor, Monticello, Roscoe, Sullivan West and Tri-Valley districts. The districts split between Sullivan and other counties--Ellenville, Pine Bush, Port Jervis and Minisink Valley--have already been closed.

This was a difficult decision to make, considering how disruptive this closure may be to children's education, including my own. But given the circumstances - including the fact that virtually every school district surrounding Sullivan County has already closed for at least two weeks - this is the most prudent choice," Potosek said. "We cannot allow coronavirus to rapidly spread through the classrooms and hallways of our schools. That promises to be far more disruptive than a controlled closure."

Schools in Dutchess and Ulster counties were ordered closed by their respective county executives for two weeks starting Monday, March 16. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus advised districts in Orange to close starting Monday.