PROVIDENCE – R.I. Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green, in a letter Thursday, is calling all public-school districts in Rhode Island to submit closure plans that would support class instruction in case schools are shut down for an extended period of time.
The letter was issued as a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted both local colleges and event venues.
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While possibly closing schools in Rhode Island is an action that “is not yet warranted,” Infante-Green is asking school officials from all districts to submit their plans to the R.I. Department of Education by March 19. Infante-Green said the department will review the plans and offer suggestions to “ensure the continuity of learning” for children.
“[W]e all need to plan and be prepared,” Infante-Green said. “The paramount concern for all of us is safeguarding the health of our children, our teachers, and their families. The decision to close schools is never one that is taken lightly, but one for which we should all be prepared.”
Infante-Green and RIDE also plans to call “every district leader” as a means to offer support in the respective district’s plan development, she said. Infante-Green said virtual-learning resources, while “not a substitute” for teachers in a classroom setting, could serve as a “valuable option” for districts.
“We encourage districts to include ways for students to continue learning at home,” Infante-Green said. “Your current curriculum materials may have online options that students and teachers can utilize at home.”
RIDE spokesperson Pete Janhunen told PBN Thursday said the department suggests the plans should address equity of access for students to have online capabilities to learn and equity of learning style to address any students’ individual education plans if schools are closed for extended periods.
(Updated with comment from RIDE.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
