BEDFORD, Mich. — Bedford Public Schools is making the switch to fully remote learning starting Wednesday, Nov. 11.
In communication sent to district families on Monday, Superintendent Dr. Carl Shultz outlined the need to switch to remote learning as cases rise and quarantines of staff have created difficulties in operating the district during in-person learning.
"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and desire to remain in-person, we have always known that the impact of COVID-19 on our community would determine our district’s ability to maintain our current in-person learning program options. Due to the significant increase of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and subsequent quarantining, Bedford Public Schools will be suspending all in-person learning options and transitioning all district classrooms to full-virtual learning programs beginning on Wednesday, November 11, 2020," writes Shultz.
The decision was made with guidance from the Monroe County Health Department, based on current and trending COVID-19 data.
"Every day we're getting calls from our health department and we're getting two, three, five positive cases or contact that have run its course now. So it is in all of our buildings," Schultz said.
Shultz cites the "significant number" of student and staff quarantines following positive individual cases of the virus. The communication reads that these quarantines have made it impossible to properly staff in-person learning, including transportation, food service and academic support staff.
In the past four days, over 23 staff members have been required to enter quarantine.
"When there's a new record set in both Ohio and Michigan, which seems like every other day now. It's become harder and harder to contact trace and to deal with the number of positive cases we've had," Schultz explained.
More decisions will come in the next few days and weeks as the district transitions and will be sent to families through each school building's communications.
Extra-curricular programs and events will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The district will maintain as many as possible, as long as it can be done safely.
Food service will operate on a pick-up model, like during the spring closure.
Bedford has also created a district COVID-19 dashboard to communicate the data driving their decisions.
The decision to transition back to another learning model or remain remote will be reevaluated the first week of December, dependent on data outlined in that dashboard.