Lutheran school gives up plan to reopen after Racine Health Department says school would be fined

From The Journal Times.com:

• Caitlin Sievers

The former Family Literacy of Racine facility, and former parish school for St. Richard of Chichester Parish, 1510 Villa St., is now operated as Renaissance Lutheran School-Villa.

Journal Times file photo

RACINE — A private elementary school in the City of Racine, Renaissance Lutheran School-Villa, has backtracked on a plan to welcome students back to the school building while a city ordinance prohibiting in-person schooling remains in effect.

Renaissance Lutheran School-Villa, 1510 Villa St., sent a letter to its families on Monday saying that students would be welcomed back to the school building on Dec. 8. But, after being contacted by the City of Racine Public Health Department, the school on Friday abandoned that plan.

The Health Department informed Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, Inc., the organization that runs Renaissance-Villa, that the Safer Racine ordinance is still in effect, even though the public health order closing schools is not. The ordinance orders all school buildings in the City of Racine to be empty of students and staff from Nov. 27 to Jan. 15 amid rising case rates of COVID-19 locally and statewide. 

Any school that opens its doors to students prior to Jan. 15, according to Public Health Administrator Dottie-Kay Bowersox, will be cited $250 for each day it is illegally open.

Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/education/lutheran-school-gives-up-plan-to-reopen-after-racine-health-department-says-school-would-be/article_fbec1bf1-46e7-5552-a6e7-c609902b57e4.html#tracking-source=home-top-story