Cumberland superintendent will ask board to move start of school year online

The school board will meet Tuesday morning to discuss and vote on that plan.

"The safety of our students and staff is our top priority," Connelly said in a statement Friday. "Over the last few days, we have received several health and safety concerns about the opening of schools. As promised, we have continued to monitor the situation and will use data to make informed decisions for our students and staff, in consultation with local health officials."

Cumberland County has recorded more than 1,800 coronavirus infections to date, and 43 people have died from illnesses associated with the virus.

District officials are still figuring out how to get laptops and other devices to students for online instruction and how to hold orientation sessions.

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Connelly said he's ordered 10,000 computers and internet connectivity devices to make sure every student has them, just as officials did in March when the pandemic forced the schools to shut down.

Not everyone is a fan of online learning, however.

Connelly said delaying any classroom instruction until later in the school year "will provide more opportunities for us to watch coronavirus trends in Cumberland County and prepare to tackle the challenges of executing such a model."

"We need more time for our teachers to provide that quality instruction – that is critical – and we need some time to get staff back in the building to prepare our buildings sufficiently to be safe," he said.

Families are encouraged to complete the district’s re-entry enrollment form by Sunday so that, if the school board decides to move forward with Connelly's recommendation, district officials can better plan for a possible shift later to a mix of in-class and remote instruction.