By unanimous decision, at a Special Board meeting conducted on Thursday, March 19, 2020, the Pine River Area Schools' Board of Education approved the withdrawal of the district's bond proposal from the May 5, 2020 special election previously called. Pine River received contact from the Osceola County Clerk on March 17 at 4:48 p.m. that the polls were closed for May 5 by gubernatorial order and that if the district still wanted to proceed with its May 5 election that the election would be entirely mail-in only, via absentee ballot.
"Pine River Area Schools certainly does not wish to rush out an all mail-in election in May when our kids are at home from this emergency school closure," said Superintendent Matt Lukshaitis. "We aren't even sure when we will be allowed to open the doors back up for instruction," he added; also stating, "Folks right now are trying to figure out how to handle life with COVID-19, pay rent, mortgages, provide childcare, and obtain supplies for the home, etc. The last thing we want folks to worry about is a two-step, mail-in bond proposal. We want our kids in school and when we know more, then we can think about an August election or thereafter. The Board wants transparency when it comes to voting on our bond proposal, not confusion. This was the right choice for Pine River."