More Hudson Valley School Districts Return to All Online Learning

A growing number of school districts in the Hudson Valley announced students will be learning completely from home.

The Kingston Central School District announced plans to pivot to all remote learning from Friday, Dec. 4 until at least Friday, Dec. 11. Children are expected to return to their classrooms on Monday, Dec. 14.

"Over the last week, we have seen a dramatic increase in the community spread of COVID 19 in our area. As of this morning Ulster County has recorded 982 confirmed cases, a number we have not seen since mid-March," schools officials wrote on the Kingston Central School District website. "This community spread, and the spread in our surrounding areas, has impacted our students, faculty and staff. The number of faculty and staff members required to quarantine due to contact with positive cases or by being deemed positive due to symptoms consistent with COVID-19 has made it increasingly difficult for KCSD to cover classrooms and ensure the implementation of our safety protocols."

The Onteora Central School District also announced a return to remote learning for students until Monday. Dec. 14.

"Please know this decision was made after a very careful and thoughtful review of current conditions, trends, and projections. I feel that this plan is in the best interests of our students, staff, and community. I remain hopeful that following this pause, we can return to school with an understanding of the full impact of the holiday as it relates to our school community," Onteora Central School District Superintendent of Schools Victoria McLaren said.

Newburgh Enlarged City School District Superintendent Roberto Padilla recently announced all Newburgh schools will be remote from Monday, Nov. 30 until January.

"We apologize for any hardship this causes your family. We are required to follow the science and recommendations of the medical experts," Padilla wrote in a letter to the Newburgh community. "We preferred a socially-distant, in-person model, however, given the national and local trends, it is prudent for us to pivot to fully remote at this time

The hope is for Newburgh students to return to a hybrid-model on Tuesday, Jan. 19, pending new rules from Gov. Cuomo, officials say.

The Middletown Enlarged City School District is also moving to online learning starting on Monday, Nov. 30 until at least Tuesday, Jan. 19.

"As a community of learners, our priorities are academics, safety, health, and wellbeing of our entire school community. In response to the Orange County Department of Health’s November 19 letter strongly urging and encouraging schools in the County transition into a “holiday pause,” our district will undergo some adjustments," Middletown Superintendent of Schools Richard Del Moro said.

Schools in North Rockland, Peekskill, New Rochelle, Yonkers and New Rochelle also recently switched to remote learning.