ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester City School District has announced it will pivot to remote learning beginning on Thursday.

The school district says the decision is the result of the shortage of staff and substitutes and is a temporary measure.

RCSD officials say the ability to educate and transport children in a safe, efficient, and orderly manner has been directly impacted. Several hundred teachers and staff have called out this week. Most of them because of illness and quarantine.

On Wednesday, the district says staffing shortages impacted busing to and from city schools and prompted it to combine some routes.

The RCSD anticipates a return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 11 and will provide an update by noon on the preceding Monday.

Superintendent Dr. Leslie Myers-Small says she is concerned about how this change will affect the social and emotional needs of students and asks students and parents to reach out to the district if they need help.

“The new variant has really been a game changer as far as our ability to make sure that staff are here,” Myers-Small said. “And then you further compound that with the fact that there are staffing shortages. So we continue to be very mindful and on top of our numbers, and if we have to make shifts again, then we would have to do that. But the bottom line is we need folks to certainly mask and we need people to get vaccinated. I can’t mandate it, but it really, really is important.”

Two locations will remain open for in-person learning – NorthSTAR Academy, for students with disabilities, and OACES, an adult learning program.  

Grab-and-go meals for students will be served at 15 school sites from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.