Riverside School District To Shift To Virtual Online Learning on December 1

In an informational letter made available on the Riverside Beaver County School District website this week, Superintendent Bret Trotta provides and update from the district as they plan to shift to virtual online learning after the Thanksgiving holiday.  Ellwood City School District made a similar announcement earlier this month. The full statement reads as follows:

Dear Riverside Families,

As we approach the upcoming holiday seasons, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for your support of all of our processes we have been utilizing throughout the school year. We began this journey without the full understanding of how our daily interactions would be changed from previous school years; however, the students and teachers have embraced new opportunities with learning and  communicating and exceeded all expectations set before them. I continue to believe our system of instruction is best served with direct interactions between students and staff.

While our district is operating with minimal active cases, our community has been taxed with an abundance of exposures and positive results that have negatively impacted our community. Regrettably, as a result, the Riverside Beaver County School District will shift to virtual online learning for all grades beginning on December 1, 2020. An Act 80 Day will be held on Wednesday, November 25th in order for the teachers to prepare for the shift to virtual learning after Thanksgiving vacation. As a result, there will be no school on November 25th. The last day of in-person instruction will be Tuesday, November 24th.

As was outlined in my letter last week, the shift to virtual instruction has been necessitated by the sharp increase in COVID cases – across the state, county, and in our community. The district’s goal has always been to provide as much in-person instruction as possible. However, the increased infection rates have had a major impact on student attendance and district staffing.

It is anticipated that Beaver County will soon be identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as having substantial risk. Over the past two weeks, we have witnessed an increase in the incident rate of COVID-19 cases from 75 to 162 for every 100,000 people. Like neighboring counties that have been moved to the substantial category, the state recommendation is to provide instruction virtually for all students on a full-time basis.

In order for you to properly prepare, the Riverside School Board has authorized virtual learning to continue until January 18, 2021. The hope is to avoid circumstances where students continually alternate between in-person and virtual learning during the months of December and January. Such discontinuity in instruction would make a bad situation worse. The goal is to have students return to in-person instruction before January 18th if the infection rate would happen to consistently fall below substantial levels.

Moving forward, the building administration will provide all families with details regarding the specifics of the expectations for students. Additionally, more details will follow concerning your child’s virtual learning schedule as well as meal pick up locations and other important information.

We know this is a difficult time and this temporary closure won’t be easy for many families. Please know that we continue to act in the best interest of our students and staff with their health and safety at the forefront, and we thank you for your ongoing understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,Bret Trotta