Pawtucket Elementary School to Move to Distance Learning After Coronavirus Cases Confirmed

Pawtucket Elementary School to Move to Distance Learning After Coronavirus Cases Confirmed

An elementary school in Pawtucket is moving to distance learning after coronavirus cases were confirmed.

Varieur Elementary School, which had students in school, will now be going online for at least two weeks. 

Parents Alerted With Call 

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On Monday, Parent Tiffany Shorey posted to Facebook that she learned the news via a call from the school.

“[My child’s] school called — Francis J. Varieur Elementary — they had someone test positive and closed for two weeks,” she wrote Monday afternoon.

School officials confirmed the closure by Monday evening. 

Pawtucket Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McWilliams told WJAR the positive cases are "affecting more than 13 staff and 9 students with a few still awaiting results of testing."

McWilliams said this move will allow for deep cleaning, extensive contact tracing of the confirmed positive cases, and additional testing.