Schools Across RI Prepare For Online Learning: Coronavirus

PROVIDENCE, RI — Across the state,students, families and educators are getting ready to walk into unchartered territory: remote learning. Starting Monday, students across the state will return to "classrooms," logging into video conferences and submitting assignments online. While there is expected to be an adjustment period, all school districts submitted their long-distance learning plans before Thursday's deadline, Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said.

On Wednesday, Governor Gina Raimondo announced that all Rhode Island schools will be closed for an additional two weeks, though it's "unlikely" that students will be back in classrooms in early April.

"Our team continues to review the plans and work with the local education agencies as they refine and modify them on an ongoing basis," Infante-Green said in a statement. "We are eager to keep our teachers teaching and our learners learning."

Learning plans vary from community to community, with some districts choosing to conduct classes online, while others are sending home packets of work. The biggest challenge, Infante-Green said, remains making sure all students have access to the tools they need for their education, from an internet connection for low-income students to serving the needs of students with individual education plans. The department is working with districts and commercial partners to address these problems.

"This is a bold and innovative experiment to launch a statewide distance learning effort on short notice," the commissioner continued. "Governor Raimondo has challenged us to rise to the moment, and the education community is energized to meet that challenge. We expect to learn many lessons along the way – lessons that we can share across districts in short order."

Infante-Green acknowledged that "we are asking a lot of our families, our teachers and our students," and she said she and the department are fully committed to makiing the best of a difficult situation.

"In a time of confusion and unpredictability, we want to provide the stability and certainty that school can and will happen, no matter what obstacle is put in our way," she continued. "We owe it to our children and to the future of our state and nation."

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