Rome Elementary School Will Remain Remote This Week Due To COVID-19

Another Central New York School school has been forced to move to remote learning this week due to staff shortages. The reason for the staff shortages is COVID-19 exposures.

While some may be letting their guard down due to the increased supply of vaccines, it's important to know that the virus has not gone away. While the vaccine certainly does offer protections to those who get one, the spread continues to those who haven't received one yet.

While Governor Cuomo did expand eligibility to get a vaccine to 16 & older, elementary age children still can't get a shot. There is some susceptibility for spread among younger children, but that is actually not the reason for the move to remote learning at Bellamy Elementary School in Rome. Rome School District officials wrote on their Facebook page Monday,

Bellamy will be remote for the remainder of this week due to staff shortages caused by quarantine requirements. In-person learning will resume on Monday, April 26th. Please check your email for more information. Thank you!

They are not the first school district this week to have to move students back to the remote learning platform. Whitesboro Central Schools announced Monday that the entire district would be remote Tuesday for administrators to take the time to contact Oneida County's Health Department for contact tracing purposes and guidance.

Inevitably, these cases will continue to happen and school communities, families and staff must be prepared for it. To some extent you have to expect it will happen every once in a while. The term "abundance of caution" comes in to play frequently and most of these school districts, in accordance with health department guidelines, are taking just that.