SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico officials announced Wednesday that all public school students will start virtual classes Aug. 17 as the U.S. territory battles an increase in coronavirus cases.
Education Secretary Eligio Hernandez said he was delaying the reopening of public schools for in-person classes by one month to Sept. 17, though he cautioned that it is a preliminary plan that could change if cases aren’t controlled.
“The health of our people is always the highest priority,” he said.
Puerto Rico is home to one of the largest school districts in a U.S. jurisdiction, with more than 281,500 students enrolled for the coming school year.
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Officials said they expect private schools to follow the same program.
Hernandez’s announcement raised concerns among some parents, who noted that power failures remain common across the island since Hurricane Maria and that not all teachers or students have access to the internet.
Grichelle Toledo, general secretary of Puerto Rico’s Association of Teachers, urged the education secretary to reopen schools for those who don’t have internet connections. Hernandez noted that certain printed materials will be available to pick up at schools for those who have internet problems.
Hernandez also announced that trailers and temporary rental facilities will replace schools in the island’s southern region that have been shuttered since early January as a result of a series of earthquakes. In addition, he said parents will have to pick up free daily meals at schools.
The island of 3.2 million people has reported at least 185 covid-19 deaths, along with more than 4,300 confirmed corona-virus cases. Health experts said the percentage of positive cases since late June has increased tenfold, prompting the governor to recently announce major rollbacks in reopenings.