Nassau BOCES To Go Online-Only Week After Thanksgiving

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau BOCES, which has dozens of schools and classrooms all around the county, will be switching to entirely remote instruction for the week following Thanksgiving due to concerns of people travelling and contracting the coronavirus.

BOCES announced the measure earlier this week in a online call with staff. All classes will be conducted remotely for the week of Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, and will reconvene in-person starting Dec. 7. The organization will also use the time to determine how many staff members travel for the holiday, and whether it will take a similar action after the winter break.

"Thanksgiving is traditionally a time we share with friends and family," said Dr. Robert Dillon, the superintendent of Nassau BOCES. "Our college students come home from many different states, and we share a meal with loved ones. Some of us travel out of state to share a meal with family and friends. Until this year, these all seemed perfectly harmless pursuits."

BOCES has nearly three dozen sites across the county and offers dozens of programs to students, as well as support for the county's 56 public school districts. It employs more than 2,500 full- and part-time staff.

The BOCES administration urged any staff members who travel outside of the state for Thanksgiving to take a COVID test when they get home, so they'll be able to return to work on Dec. 7 if they test negative. Otherwise, they'll have to quarantine for 14 days.