Rochester school delays start of classes after positive COVID-19 cases
A high school in Rochester has delayed the beginning of its school year after several cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in staff members.
Rochester Lourdes High School confirmed three staff members have contracted the virus, and three others are considered "close contacts" of the trio.
As a result, all six staffers have to quarantine until Labor Day weekend, with classes at the high school now due to start on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The school had planned on resuming classes on Monday, Aug. 31, which is still the start date for the rest of Rochester Catholic Schools.
"We remain committed to begin the school year with the in-person learning model. For the educational success of children, we feel it is vital to give staff an opportunity to meet students, set up strategies, goals and procedures and to familiarize themselves with our online tools," a letter to parents read.
"It clearly is not the ideal, nor is it what we had hoped, but the safety of our students and staff will remain our number one priority."
As schools prepare for the restart, there have been several instances of some districts pushing back the start of the school year to give teachers more time to prepare for in-person instruction in the time of COVID-19.
The latest of those is St. Cloud School District, which has delayed the start of the year to Monday, Sept. 14.
