21 Rochester schools to remain in remote learning. Here's the list
Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small announced that the majority of Rochester City Schools would return to in-person instruction starting Wednesday, Jan. 12. The remaining 21 schools will continue with remote learning for another week, with tentative plans for them to reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
All schools in the Rochester City School District shifted to remote learning last Thursday, Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small said the suspension of in-person classes was necessary due to the rising number of staff absences and a shortage of substitutes.
Myers-Small said she heard from various stakeholders, including teachers and parents, expressing their views about whether city schools should continue remote learning during this extreme surge of COVID-19 cases.
"Education is our primary business, but we are also concerned with the social-emotional needs of our scholars as well," Myers-Small said at a Monday afternoon press briefing.
"In our district in particular, we see a lot of ACEs, adverse child experiences, and many who have been traumatized by violence in their community. School is a safe place and a haven for them. We need to make sure that the positive and strong connections our scholars have with teachers, their peers, and other adults in schools are maintained."
The superintendent said the goal is that staffing levels will be adequate to resume in-person learning at the remaining 21 schools after the Martin Luther King Day holiday next Monday.
RCSD schools that will remain in remote learning
Virgil I. Grissom School 7
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School 9
Anna Murray-Douglass School 12
Children’s School of Rochester 15
Enrico Fermi School 17
Henry Hudson School 28
John James Audubon School 33
Dr. Louis A. Cerulli School 34
Andrew J. Townson School 39
Helen Barrett Montgomery School 50
Montessori School 53
World of Inquiry School 58
Edison Technology and Career High School
Franklin Lower and Upper Schools
Joseph C. Wilson Wilson Magnet High School
Monroe Upper School
Northwest Junior High at Douglass
Rochester Early College International High School
Rochester International Academy
School of the Arts
Myers-Small said she anticipated these schools will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18. Officials will continue to assess the situation at each school on a daily basis.
Myers-Small said that staffing shortages caused by unfilled positions have been exacerbated by teacher and staff absences, fueled by the surge in COVID-19 cases locally. Monroe County has seen a more than 200% increase in cases since the start of the year.
Breakfast and lunch will continue to be available for pickup for students at schools that are engaged in remote-learning. RCSD officials said that remote students who need Chromebooks or wi-fi hotspots for home use should contact their own school.
Students in remote learning should continue to log onto Google Classroom or Seesaw and follow their regular school day with their teachers. All in-person students should continue to bring their technology to and from school each day.
More details on remote learning are available at the RCSD website, RCSDK12.org.
Contact staff reporter Sean Lahman at slahman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanlahman.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 21 RCSD schools to remain in remote learning. Here's the list
