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New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Laura Feijóo announced on Thursday, Aug. 13 that the district consulted with state health officials and determined classes will be held virtually through at least the month of September.
Feijóo said that at the end of September, they will continue monitoring the situation to determine how and when schools can reopen for in-person learning.
“With this virtual plan, our district remains committed to universal internet and Chromebook access and will be sensitive to the needs of special education students, ENL students and families with child care issues,” she stated. “The final virtual learning plan may include limited and targeted in-building programs for these populations.”
New Rochelle was one of the first hotspots for COVID-19 in the country when a super-spreader infected dozens of people with the virus after attending a pair of heavily-attended religious gatherings.
“As difficult as this decision is, I feel it is my obligation as your Superintendent to place the health and well-being of teachers, staff, students and their families above all else,” Feijóo added. “As much as I'd like students to learn in their classrooms, we do not know enough about the COVID virus at this time to be confident that people will be safe to return to our schools as a hybrid model would require.”
Feijóo said that she will be speaking with parents during a virtual informational session held at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The link to that meeting can be found here.
“I am working with my cabinet, school leadership, teachers and the Board of Education to develop a more detailed plan in order to ensure that virtual learning will be as robust as possible to maximize each student's learning, she said. ”Please know that everyone in our district is working toward ensuring the 2020/2021 school year focuses on meaningful education and the health and well-being of our community.”
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