Amid fears of the more contagious omicron variant and the number of daily COVID cases shattering records several times in recent weeks, Delaware school officials are weighing whether to maintain in-person classes or switch to virtual learning.
Many schools in Delaware remained open Tuesday but its leaders were keeping close watch on COVID-19 cases in their communities.
Delaware Gov. John Carney emphasized the importance of students being educated in person and noted that the decision to go remote or in-person will remain with each school district.
“It’s a problem with people, staff that have tested positive for an infection that they got outside of the school and not being able to come to school to teach or to drive a bus or whatever the case may be,” Carney said Tuesday. “We however are providing them with the tools to manage whatever they experience in their individual communities.”
Delaware has seen COVID-19 cases skyrocket recently, reporting 589 hospitalizations on Monday, 100 more than the highest point this time last year, according to state data. On New Year’s Eve, Delaware confirmed 3,554 positive cases, a new record.
The spike prompted Carney to place Delaware into a state of emergency again Monday, which will allow the Delaware National Guard to work as nurses at state hospitals. Carney has been reluctant to issue any mandates or restrictions, instead appealing to the public’s personal responsibility on the matter.
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State Department of Education spokeswoman Alison May said keeping schools open for in-person learning is best and the recommended course of action when possible.
“Temporarily moving to remote learning is a local district/charter decision,” May said.
School districts have broad authority to handle spikes in cases, continuing in-person classes or switching to virtual, as well as implementing other precautions to limit the spread of the virus.
At the Charter School of Wilmington, nearly 40 students and staff have tested positive for COVID recently, but the school opted to maintain in-person because of a recent student death.
“It was especially important for us to continue with in-person learning to mourn the loss of a student and provide grief services and support for students and staff,” said Donna Urban, spokeswoman for the charter school. “Everyone we spoke to strongly recommended the entire school be present to start the conversations about grief and begin the healing process. Plus, keeping school open provides guaranteed and consistent access to supports that students might not otherwise have without school.”
Urban did not clarify why students must eat outside in the courtyard or under tents with portable heaters during the coldest week of the season. Emails sent out Sunday night reminded students to bring coats for eating lunch outside.
The charter school’s decision to resume in-person classes sparked an online petition created by the school’s Social Justice Alliance student group, urging the school to go to remote learning. As of 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, the petition had 634 signatures and dozens of comments.
One commenter pointed out that an online teaching option would make sure students who are quarantining can tune into class.
“Sending kids to school with so many substitutes rather than allowing teachers who need to isolate and quarantine but are still capable of offering an online option is short-sighted,” one commenter wrote. “Just because kids are in school doesn’t mean learning is happening.”
Students described having multiple study halls because of absent teachers and faculty, and staff and students failing to properly wear face masks and take the necessary precautions.
Other school districts faced with staffing shortages have shifted to remote learning, like Christina School District.
“At the time, we are handling it on a case-by-case basis, specifically per school. We are not looking to close the entire school district,” a district spokesperson said. “If we are short with administrative staff, teachers, and/or nurses at a school, this becomes an operational concern, so we may have to move our students to remote learning.”
Delaware’s education department noted that changes in the length of quarantine for COVID-positive people, revisions announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late last year, from 10 days to five will help ease the burden for schools that are short-staffed.
Concerns over current COVID-19 numbers along with staffing issues at schools in the neighboring Philadelphia region prompted several districts to switch to virtual learning as well.
In the Chester Upland School District, schools switched to virtual learning the first week of January because of ongoing health concerns among students and staff.
Trenton Public Schools in New Jersey announced on New Year’s Day that the district would switch to remote learning to limit the impact of the virus. The New Jersey school district said the city of Trenton has seen a “drastic increase in infections.”
“Health officials also indicated that many infections are ‘linked’ to staff and students within Trenton Public Schools,” the Jan. 1, 2022 school message stated. “While the district is not reporting a drastic increase in infections, health officials predict that current trends in the city will have an impact on our schools.”
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, or by calling 302-598-5507. Follow her on Twitter at @mandy_fries.
