Hudson Valley School District Returns To All Online Learning

A large school district in the Hudson Valley announced a return to students learning completely from home.

Newburgh Enlarged City School District Superintendent Roberto Padilla announced all Newburgh schools will switch to all-remote learning after the Thanksgiving break.

"Under the recommendation of the Orange County Department of Health (DOH), Newburgh Schools will transition to remote instruction for all scholars beginning Monday, November 30, 2020. 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.

On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo placed Newburgh and New Windsor in a Yellow Zone. Cuomo calls a Yellow Zone a "wake up call," to areas of the state with rising COVID numbers. In Yellow Zones, houses of worship are capped at 50 percent capacity and dining is limited to 4 people per table. Businesses and schools can remain open, though schools must do more testing.

"Although school infection rates are low, our community is experiencing a rise in cases. Our goal is to always keep our scholars and employees safe. 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," Padilla wrote.

The first day of the full remote schedule will be Monday, Nov. 30. The hope is for Newburgh students to return to a hybrid-model on Monday, Jan. 19, pending new rules from Gov. Cuomo, officials say.

Weekly meal distribution will continue with the same schedule, according to Padilla.