School district returns to remote learning as fourth wave of COVID hits

MILLBROOK — Because of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the Millbrook Central School District (MCSD) has canceled in-person learning at all of its school buildings until  Monday, Jan. 3.

Superintendent of Schools Laura Mitchell announced the decision in a letter to staff and district families on Thursday, Dec. 16. She said the MCSD will proceed with remote learning until students start their holiday vacation on Thursday, Dec. 23, at which point it will reassess the decision.

As of last Tuesday and Wednesday, students were using the new protocol to “Test to Stay,” which allows them to remain in school after having been exposed to the coronavirus in the classroom as long as they are tested for the virus regularly and remain healthy.

However, as Mitchell pointed out in her letter, that can be difficult for the district to deal with.

“As the number of cases grows, so do the number of close contacts in our student and staff population, making it increasingly challenging to sustain in-person instruction,” she wrote.

The MCSD did not share the exact number of COVID cases it is dealing with at the moment, but according to the New York State COVID-19 Report Card, there were five students in Elm Drive Elementary School who tested positive for the virus, along with two staff members who tested positive for COVID there on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

On Thursday, Dec. 16, one student and two staff members  at Millbrook High School tested positive, and Millbrook Middle School reported eight students and one teacher tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New York State COVID-19 Report Card.

Mitchell said anyone impacted by the positive COVID cases will be contacted by either MCSD or county health officials.

Other schools have similarly switched to remote learning, including Carmel High School in Putnam County, which will likewise remain closed through the holiday break due to the high number of COVID cases.

Dutchess County reported that as of Saturday, Dec. 18, active COVID cases had risen to an 11-month high of 1,647. Numbers have not been at that level since Jan. 25, when there were 1,707 active cases county wide.

The current surge in the Hudson Valley is troubling to county and school officials, as there were just 375 cases in Dutchess County seven weeks ago — and it reflects an increase across not only New York but across the country. On Sunday, Dec. 19, The New York Times described the rise in COVID cases culminating just one week before Christmas as “the fourth wave of coronavirus infections.”

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