COVID outbreak closes Pioneer schools

Coronavirus surging through the students and staff at Pioneer Schools prompted the district on Monday to close its elementary and middle schools for five school days.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 11 students and four staff members have tested positive for COVID, Superintendent Jill Diehl told the Journal in an email. The district announced the five-day closure to parents on Monday afternoon after reviewing the Washington State Department of Health’s guidelines for K-12 schools and consulting with Mason County Public Health, she wrote.

The students are scheduled to return to the classrooms on Tuesd...