November 20, 2019
2:23 p.m. The health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority. With the recent rise in illnesses across the valley, we have made a decision to close all D51 schools this Thursday and Friday, Nov. 21-22. All District 51 schools will reopen as scheduled following Thanksgiving Break. The closure includes all afterschool activities beginning Thursday, Nov. 21.
All school buildings will be closed Nov. 21-22. However, Central Administration, BTK, Hawthorne, and Emerson will be open as scheduled Nov. 21-22 and Nov. 25-27.
We have never before had to close all schools in the district due to illness. According to D51 Nursing Coordinator Tanya Marvin, “We are taking this highly unusual action because this virus is extremely contagious and spreading quickly across our schools. In addition, it appears that there is now a second, related virus that is affecting students, some of whom have already been ill in recent weeks. The combination of the two has created an unprecedented spread of illness.”
Onset of symptoms for both types of viruses, including vomiting, is incredibly fast. The second version also causes fever in several cases.
We understand that a districtwide closure is an inconvenience to families and a rare step to take. While our custodial crews are working tirelessly to disinfect schools, the rapid spread of illness has led us to the conclusion that closing all schools to allow our custodial crews and environmental health and safety team to perform an intense cleaning of the school buildings is the best course of action.
Dr. Diana Sirko
Superintendent of Schools
Mesa County Valley School District 51
970-254-5193
To learn more about school emergencies, please visit the
D51 Safety & Security Page
**To opt in to emergency texts from District 51, text “Yes” to 67587**
** Para optar por textos de emergencia del Distrito 51, envíe un mensaje de texto "Yes" al 67587 **
La Escuela Primaria Tope se encuentra en un refugio en el lugar debido a un problema aislado de comportamiento estudiantil. Durante un refugio en el lugar, todas las puertas exteriores están cerradas, los teléfonos no reciben respuesta y se permite un movimiento limitado dentro del edificio.
La Escuela Primaria Tope se encuentra en un refugio en el lugar debido a un problema aislado de comportamiento estudiantil. Durante un refugio en el lugar, todas las puertas exteriores están cerradas, los teléfonos no reciben respuesta y se permite un movimiento limitado dentro del edificio.