More Rochester City School District students than previously announced will participate in hybrid learning, Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small announced Wednesday on Twitter.
“For the sake of equity and opportunity to that of elementary students, I have asked my team to work on a plan that could bring those students who selected hybrid learning in grades 7-12 back into our buildings for two days of in-person learning in early 2021,” Myers-Small tweeted.
“When our plan is finalized, I will present it to you, in the same manner I have in the past with greater details,” Myers-Small continued. “Our District’s primary core belief is that students are our first priority and will drive each decision.”
Myers-Small previously announced plans for special education students and some prekindergarten through sixth-grade students to return to school buildings in the new year. In November, Myers-Small gave parents and guardians the option to continue remote-only instruction for the rest of the school year. Most families took it. Only 26% of district families with children in secondary schools agreed to a hybrid learning plan.
A few hundred students in specialized programs are scheduled to begin hybrid learning on Jan. 5, and 4,423 pre-K and elementary school students are expected to start on Feb. 8. There are just under 25,000 students in the district.
Board of Education president Van White said he supports Myers-Small's flexibility.
“I think it's fair to say the board appreciates the superintendent trying her best to provide an accommodation for the variety of needs that people have in a unique situation,” said White.
“She’s been flexible because she’s been listening to what parents have to say.”
The district has not had students in schools since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.
