OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It’s back to learning at home for Oshkosh North High School and Oshkosh West High School students.
The two Oshkosh schools will go fully virtual Wednesday, due to community spread of COVID-19.
Oshkosh’s superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright tells FOX 11 it’s a proactive approach to stop the virus from spreading any further.
“It’s worse than going to school every day,” said Oshkosh North HS student Raymond McCann.
This is the second time the district has made this same transition, after COVID-19 outbreaks in schools.
“I guess you’re still learning, but you’re not learning as much as you would be in school,” McCann said. “I’d much rather be in school every single day, but, it’s just what it is.”
Before the school year even started, a COVID-19 outbreak among staff at Oshkosh North High School and Merrill Middle School flipped students’ schedules from a hybrid learning model to all-virtual.
This time around, it’s Oshkosh North again, along with Oshkosh West.
“The transition is due to the extensive community spread of COVID-19 occurring in the Oshkosh Area School District boundaries, and the resulting rapidly increasing number of high school students and staff required to quarantining,” Cartwright said.
Oshkosh North has about 100 cases, where either students or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been in close contact with someone who has. Oshkosh West has about 130.
“Just because you’re quarantining, it does not mean that you’re COVID positive. There are two different reasons that will lead to individuals being quarantining,” said Cartwright. “One, would be that you’re a close contact, which is what the majority of our cases are, at this point.”
McCann tells FOX 11 the back and forth has taken a toll, but he says he understands the district’s decision to be safe, and not sorry.
“I’m a pretty healthy kid. I don’t really see me getting like sick and dying because of it, but it is a little frightening, because I don’t want my grandparents to die and my mom to like have something wrong with her, and stuff like that.”
Oshkosh North and West students and staff were still able to go on-campus Monday, and will be able to again today, in order to gather belongings necessary for virtual learning from home.
All-online learning is expected to last about two weeks.
The return to school will be re-evaluated after that.
“It is clear that, unless the spread of COVID-19 stops, providing in-person instruction is just simply not possible,” Cartwright said.
Cartwright is asking staff, students and parents for help. She says families should stay away from large gatherings, continue to socially distance and wear face masks.
