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More RCSD students to return to school in hybrid model this week

Nearly 2,900 students are returning to hybrid/in-person learning this week in the Rochester City School District.

It is Phase 3 of the district’s reopening plan.

This includes students in grades 7 to 12 enrolled at all secondary schools and students in grades 7 and 8 enrolled at all pre-K to 8th grade buildings in the district.

In January, students in specialized programs returned to the hybrid/in-person learning, and earlier this month, more than 4,100 students in grades pre-K to 6 returned to hybrid/in-person learning.

The Rochester Teachers Association has pushed back against this plan. RTA president Adam Urbanski has questioned the district’s readiness to have the resources needed to teach all students at the same time, whether they are at home or in class, and he wants to see the district go back to full remote learning.

District superintendent Lesli Myers-Small  has said that Rochester cannot be the only district in Monroe County to be fully remote at all grade levels.

Myers-Small released a letter over the weekend saying that more sophisticated MERV-13 air filters are being installed in district schools to help eliminate contaminants.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.