As COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin remain around record highs, more school districts are choosing to move or remain in an all virtual learning setting.
The biggest school district announcing their decision this week is the Racine Unified School District. They cite the latest data from the Department of Health Services which shows Racine County is in a “very high” risk category for the virus. They will continue to run remote learning until further notice.
One district that had one week of in-person classes as part of a hybrid model this week was the School District of South Milwaukee. A decision was made Friday to return to all virtual based on the current data of COVID-19 in the district.
In a letter by Superintendent Jeff Weiss, the burden rate in South Milwaukee is 410.13 per 100-thousand people with a positivity rate of 11.3-percent. Weiss says he will share additional metrics and internal data during the district’s next board meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 that helps determine when it is safe to return to a hybrid model.
For now, virtual learning will remain in place through October 30.
Another district that is shifting from hybrid to all virtual learning is the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District. After the school board voted Thursday 4 to 3 on the matter, the district is following through with their previous decision to return to all virtual based on the current disease burden for COVID-19 in Oak Creek at 430 per 100-thousand people.
The decision will mean at least two weeks of all virtual learning. The current policy in place is to shift back when the disease burden is below 350 and has a downward trend for at least one week.
Meanwhile, the Hamilton School District will have its high school and Templeton Middle School students learn from home the week of October 19. The four days of virtual learning comes after word the state COVID-19 database will be going through maintenance this weekend, which could delay the district’s ability to identify close contacts who may have the virus.
