New Rochelle Schools To Go Remote Until Dec. 3

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Schools in the New Rochelle district will be switching to remote learning until Dec. 3 at the earliest.

A message to the community from interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Merrero Thursday afternoon said that the decision was made in consultation with the Westchester County Department of Health because a large portion of the district was designated a micro-cluster yellow zone by the state.

"This designation indicates a concerning increase in the spread of COVID-19," he said in the message.

Marrero said that, until now, the district has been able to respond quickly when a positive test for the virus occurred.

"Now that the number of COVID-19 cases has risen enough to designate us as a yellow zone, we expect that cases would become more frequent if school buildings remained open," he said. "For these reasons, we will switch to our distance-learning model until the situation in New Rochelle improves."

The only exception to the completely remote learning, Marrero said, will be a cohort of special education classes.

He said Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital will establish protocols to provide coronavirus tests for 20 percent of the special education students as required in yellow zones.

Five communities, including Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, Yonkers and Peekskill, along with New Rochelle, were designated micro-cluster zones Thursday because of new coronavirus infections.

They are all yellow zones, meaning schools can remain open, but 20 percent of the weekly in-person student and teacher population must be tested for the virus.

SEE ALSO: 5 Westchester Communities Added To Coronavirus Micro-Cluster Zone

Other yellow zone restrictions include:

• Indoor and outdoor dining is permitted, but there is a four-person maximum per table; bars and restaurants must still close at 10 p.m.; and late-night takeout is permitted.
• Schools can remain open, however 20 percent of the weekly in-student and teacher population must be tested.
• In-home private gatherings are limited to 10 people.
• All other nonessential gatherings are limited to 25 people, whether indoors or outdoors.
• Capacity at houses of worship is limited to 50 percent.

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