Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Pacelli Catholic Schools has made the decision to transition to distance learning in the wake of COVID-19 infiltrating the school.

A total of five cases — three in the high school and two in the elementary — led to the transition with administration citing a desire to keep those at the school safe.

“With the number of students in quarantine and those suffering, we needed to do what was safe for the students and faculty and staff and transition to distance learning,” said Principal Kane Malo. “This was something we planned for.”

The transition was immediate, but things started snowballing earlier this month when the school decided to transition the high school to distance learning, while the lower grades continued in class learning.

That was on Nov. 5, but on Nov. 10 the school went forward with moving third grade to distance learning after a case was reported there.

The decision to transition the entire school to distance learning was then made the following day with staff using Wednesday as a planning day.

Malo said that the ability to move so quickly was because of the small school population as well as the plan they had in place.

“It shows that when we are proactive that our students and teachers are in a better spot,” Malo said. “I’ve been talking to teachers and they say students are in better spirits because they know this isn’t forever.”

For now, the plan is to go to distance learning through the Thanksgiving holiday when they hopefully can get back in classrooms.

“We’re going past the 14 day window to Nov. 30 and hopefully leave distance learning,” Malo said.