New Hampshire schools will be closed to classroom learning for the rest of the year, Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday, citing continuing infections and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision extends an earlier end-date of May 4 for the state’s remote learning programming, and means districts will now contend with canceled graduations, proms, sports and in-person exams as the virus continues to spread.
“It’s not easy to make the decision to tell students and parents that they are going to be out for the rest of the year,” Sununu said. “You have to be cognizant of the senior class. A graduation is not going to look like it does for them as it did for maybe their friends that had come before them. Senior prom, all those types of things unfortunately are going to look very, very different. And the students are going to find that they have to find other innovative ways to proceed along with those graduations.”
The announcement accompanied a letter by Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut to school districts Thursday morning announcing the change.
Edelblut urged school districts not to let up on education, even if the situation might seem like an Alice Cooper song. “Knowing they won’t be back in the school building, it will be tempting for some students to think that their summer vacation has started. It’s important that we keep them engaged in their learning. School is still in session.”
The announcement came exactly a month after the governor issued the first order to implement remote learning. That order initially mandated two weeks of remote instruction, expiring April 6, but Sununu extended that to May 4 when the virus continued to progress.
Sununu said the state is still navigating how remote summer programs might operate and what the picture will look like for schools in September. The state has not yet formulated a plan for SAT or ACT exams, for instance, but is waiting for the companies that administer those tests to weigh in.
Sununu said he would leave it up to school districts to determine grading systems. Some have favored a pass-fail approach rather than sticking to letter grades, given the added stresses for certain students.
“We want to encourage the flexibility for those systems to get the kids moving along,” Sununu said. “Make sure that there’s accountability in that system but with as much flexibility as we possibly can.”