New Hampshire’s education commissioner doesn’t think the state will need to go back to a statewide remote learning model.
But with the severity of the coronavirus still in flux, it could still happen on an individual school level, the Concord Monitor reported.
“Of course I can’t predict the future. Not sure what the future will bring. But my sense today would be that we will not find ourselves again in the circumstance where statewide we have to go to remote instruction and support,” Frank Edelblut testified before lawmakers Tuesday.
“I suspect … that there may be incidences that happen in our institutions that will result in a transition to some type of remote instruction model. And that could be for some kind of a classroom or wing of a classroom, or perhaps even a school building,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, the president of the New Hampshire School Transportation Association told state lawmakers school bus drivers can’t be “mask police.”
“They need to focus on their driving, keep their eyes on the road,” Mark Raposo said Tuesday, New Hampshire Public Radio reported.
Raposo said as school districts plan for the fall during the coronavirus pandemic, additional staff may be necessary to monitor students on the bus and help with sanitation between runs.
As of Tuesday, 6,262 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 16 cases. Two new deaths were announced, for a total of 400.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness and can lead to death.
