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Public schools in the Pearl River District in Rockland County will switch to distance learning beginning Monday, Dec. 14, and lasting until Monday, Jan. 11.
The move came after Rockland County Commissioner of Health, Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, and her team requested a meeting with Pearl River District Administration to review COVID-19 positivity rates and additional positive cases.
"Dr. Ruppert and the Department of Health issued a strong recommendation to push back the start of in-person instruction until after our winter recess to help mitigate further spread of the virus," Superintendent of Schools Marco F. Pochintesta said in a letter to the community on Friday, Dec. 11. "Weighing the health commissioner's recommendation and the latest data, along with our commitment to the health and safety of the Pearl River school community, we will continue our remote learning in a virtual modality through Jan. 8, 2021. In-person instruction is scheduled to resume on Jan. 11, 2021."
Random testing positivity rates in three schools -- Pearl River High School, Pearl River Middle School, and Franklin Avenue Elementary School -- are over 10 percent, and Lincoln Avenue Elementary School, and Evans Park Elementary School are over 6 percent, Pochintesta said.
"In addition, this week we were notified of eight additional positive cases at the high school and one additional case at Franklin Avenue," Pochintesta said.
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