BURRILLVILLE – With a rising number of cases of COVID-19 and continued staffing issues, Supt. Michael Sollitto is recommending that all Burrillville schools go fully virtual, and students who have been receiving in-person instruction may be spending the next month at home.
The School Committee is expected to vote on a proposal Tuesday night that would put all students on distance learning through the end of winter break.
The plan to close schools for the remainder of the month follows several weeks that saw first several classrooms, and then two schools shut down for days as staff and students quarantined.
Burrillville High School closed Thursday and Friday over staffing concerns, and district officials learned of a case of the virus at the middle school Friday morning that effectively shut down that school for the day.
“We anticipate that numbers will continue to rise in the coming weeks,” Sollitto said in a note to parents.
The superintendent will present his proposal at the school board’s meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8, which starts at 6 p.m. If the measure is approved, closure would begin on Wednesday, Dec. 9, and extend through the students scheduled winter break, which begins on Thursday, Dec. 24 and ends Monday, Jan. 4.
School officials have changed the process for public comment at the virtual meeting citing time restraints, and those who wish to speak are being asked to register by filling out the form found here by 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.
The agenda for the meeting can be found here. In addition to Zoom, the meeting will also be live-streamed on the district’s YouTube channel.
