All Red Bank Primary School students, and some in the middle school, will revert to remote instruction Thursday, Superintendent Jared Rumage said in an announcement Wednesday.
He cited a number of COVID-19-related factors as driving the change.
• From the announcement:
We are sending this alert to inform you that we must temporarily switch to a full-remote schedule for ALL Red Bank Primary School students effective immediately. Our intent is to reopen Red Bank Primary School for in-person instruction on Thursday, January 28, 2021. Additionally, a Grade 4 section at Red Bank Middle School will need to close on Thursday and Friday while we await certain results. Impacted families will receive a phone call. All other Red Bank Middle School classrooms and Preschool sites will remain open. *** Updated 8:55 PM – ALL Grade 8 Students and Santos/Velastegui at Red Bank Middle School will switch to a full-remote schedule and return for in-person instruction on Thursday, January 28, 2021. ***
Please know we do not take this decision lightly. Since day one our focus has been on the safety of our entire school community. Some of the reasons for our closure include:
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- Numerous students and staff home with COVID-19 symptoms
- Multiple presumptive positives (students and staff)
- Several positive cases (students and staff)
- Difficulty in being able to conduct contact tracing in a timely manner
- Delays in COVID-19 test results
We remain committed to in-person instruction and we believe this short-term transition to remote instruction will provide us the best opportunity to resume and maintain an in-person instructional schedule for the long-term. On Thursday, January 28, we anticipate all students at the Primary School returning to a four day in-person schedule, including Grade 3 students, originally scheduled to return on Monday, January 25.
FREE Grab & Go Meals will be available for any child 18 years or younger that lives in Red Bank from 9:00-11:00 AM on Thursday (January 21) and Monday (January 25) at both the Primary School and the Middle School.
Even while students remain home on a full-remote schedule, it is still extremely important for us to remain informed about household illnesses, positive COVID-19 cases, and exposures. Contact your School Nurse or Main Office to report any information. Immediate communication will allow us to maintain a safe and healthy environment.
We realize the timing of this news may cause some level of inconvenience. However, there is nothing more important than the safety and health of our students and staff. Your cooperation is always a key factor in our success.
Continue to take the appropriate precautions regarding gatherings outside of school, face covering usage and frequent hand washing. As always, please keep your child home if they are sick AND keep them home if someone else in your household is sick. We appreciate your continued support.
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