THS and PHS Going Remote Thursday and Friday

The Pittsfield Public Schools was informed on Wednesday that a backlog of cases showed 104 new Covid-19 cases in the City of Pittsfield. This backlog was due to a recording delay caused by a technical issue at one of the testing centers located in Pittsfield.

According to a press release from the Pittsfield Public Schools, based on this information, and the number of unresolved issues on the Pittsfield Schools high school internal medical trackers at both Taconic and Pittsfield High School, both schools are having have remote learning days today (Thursday) and Friday. Current high school schedules are being followed remotely. All elementary and middle schools, along with Eagle Academy, remain open for hybrid learning.

The Pittsfield Public Schools has made this decision in partnership with The City of Pittsfield Board of Health and other city officials. The Pittsfield Public Schools will continue to monitor community absentee rates, reports of illness, and test positivity daily incidence rate metrics, to determine if school closure or in-person education initiatives require modification at Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School.

Interim superintendent, Joe Curtis said in the release that this is a stark reminder that the events in our community directly impact the operations of each one of our schools, and we must as citizens of the City of Pittsfield remain vigilant in wearing a mask, sanitizing our hands frequently, standing six feet apart from one another, and not participating in any type of large gathering. These practices have been put in place for a reason as they are proven to stop the spread of the virus. If we all work together and follow these steps, we will stop the spread of the virus and be able to keep our schools open to serve our students in a way that meets their individual needs.