To help stop the spread of COVID-19, Syracuse City School District Superintendent Jaime Alicea said students will continue to learn remotely for at least two weeks.

“I want to make sure our students and our staff are safe,” said Alicea. “And that we won’t see the increase that we saw after Thanksgiving in our schools.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Syracuse City School District superintendent says students will learn remotely until January 19

  • About 150 students and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 while about 200 have to quarantine

  • The superintendent will have students and staff return based on the school and county caseload

Alicea said 69 staff members and 79 students tested positive for COVID-19 over the winter break, and about 200 were placed in quarantine.  

Syracuse Teachers Association President Bill Scott supports his decision to remain remote.

“There’s predictions we’re going to see a bump like we’ve seen with Halloween and Thanksgiving, so it’s the wait-and-watch approach, which I think is safe for students and staff,” said Scott. “The staff was really anxious about coming back and worrying about that projected bump occurring.”

Not only will the spike in cases affect people's health, but also the students' education. Alicea said they had trouble finding substitute teachers before the break, and he doesn’t want that to happen again. He plans to return in-person January 19.

“We will resume the COVID testing in our schools to make sure the positivity rate does not go up in our schools,” said Alicea. “We have to test 20% of our students and staff that are in person.”  

“I think that’s a good plan of action,” said Scott. “The governor said today that this new strand that’s coming out of the UK, that’s more infectious, is in Saratoga. That’s just down the thruway from us. We have to be as diligent and vigilant as we have been.”

Alicea said he wants to see case numbers drop in the schools and community before the students and staff can go back to the classroom.