PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Students in the Providence public schools will return to in-person learning after the holiday break on a staggered basis in response to a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, the district has announced.
“This phased approach will allow the district to conduct testing as students return to prevent potential exposures,” the district wrote in an email to parents on Wednesday, WPRI-TV reported.
Pre-K, kindergarten and grades 1, 6 and 9 are now scheduled to return on Jan. 3. Grades 2, 3, 7, 10, and 11 will return on Jan, 4, and grades 4, 5, 8, and 12 will return on Jan. 5.
Students will learn remotely until their scheduled return date.
The district, the state’s largest with about 22,000 students, said all teachers and staff, regardless of the grade they work with, will be required to return in person for the first day of classes.
Students are not required to produce a negative test prior to returning to school, though getting tested is encouraged, the district said.
The district has scheduled a walk-in testing clinic for all students Sunday at the Providence Career & Technical Academy.
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