Region 16 schools to distance learn after holiday breaks

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PROSPECT — Region 16 schools will all switch to full remote learning for the weeks after the Thanksgiving and holiday breaks.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Yamin announced the move Monday in a letter. All students in the region, which is composed of Beacon Falls and Prospect, will distance learn at home Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 and again Jan. 4 through Jan. 8.

Yamin wrote the additional time is intended to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools after holiday gatherings.

“We are hopeful that this decision will help ensure in-person learning remains a viable option and an opportunity we can provide for our students for the remainder of the school year,” Yamin wrote.

There had been 19 positive cases among students, including two full distance learners, and 12 cases among staff members in the region as of Nov. 20, according to Yamin. Over 200 students and 40 staff members have had to quarantine at some point this school year due to contact tracing and other state requirements.