Partying Students Push Pelham Schools Online At Last Minute

PELHAM, NY — The Pelham school community opened Thursday with remote instruction, a last-minute change in plans after district officials found out that large groups of high-schoolers had been partying in the woods for the past two nights.

Video showed more than 100 teens closely mingling without masks and engaging in risky behavior, Superintendent Cheryl Champ said in an email to parents and the community Wednesday. "Needless to say, this is extremely disappointing at any time, but for students to do so just days before our schools were set to reopen potentially puts our whole school community at risk."

She pointed out that the coronavirus could spread among the students who attended, their siblings who may attend other schools in the district, and the community at large — as happened when teens in northern Westchester ignored pandemic protocols and attended parties over Horace Greeley High School's graduation weekend.

"After consulting with the Westchester County Department of Health, I can not in good conscience place our students, staff, and families at such risk," Champ said. "Accordingly, the start of in-person instruction has been postponed until Monday, September 14 while we work with the Department of Health and assess the situation to determine next steps."

District officials are asking the students who attended these parties to voluntarily quarantine for 14 days.

Meanwhile administrators rapidly deployed their Distance Learning Plan with some modifications, including limiting elementary school students to just one, not two half-days of remote instruction and using Thursday to give middle-school teachers time to set up for remote instruction on Friday.

"I fully understand the difficulties such a late change in plans presents and we are deeply disappointed to do so following months of planning and preparing our schools to welcome students and staff back to their classrooms," Champ said. "Please know that this is not a decision that was taken lightly, but one that was made with the best interests of our students and staff at heart.

"Over the next few days, we will continue to coordinate with the Department of Health to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Pelham. As we do so, it is incumbent upon all of us, including our students, families, and members of the community to do our part in limiting risky behavior that puts us all in harm's way. Together, and only together, can we create the safe conditions that are necessary to welcome our students back to school."