This Mother Has a Son Who Attends East End Community School on the Hill. She Said he’s been So Good During This Break From School that She’s Thinking of Buying Him His Own Laptop! She’s Wearing a Homemade Cloth Face Mask That Someone Gave Her.

Portland Public Schools will continue to deliver learning remotely throughout the rest of the 2019-2020 school year according to a press release from the Superintendent’s office received late today.

In an April 8 letter sent to Portland Public School families, Superintendent Xavier Botana said he’s extending the remote learning plan based on a recommendation April 7 by Maine Education Commissioner Pender Maiken.  The Commissioner’s decision that Maine school districts should continue with remote learning is supported by Governor Mills.  It is based on guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that recommends an 8 – 20 week timeframe for avoiding large group/in-person instruction once there is evidence of community transmission of COVID-19.

In his letter, the Superintendent says the decision was a difficult one because of the challenges that extending remote learning until the end of the school year pose for everyone in the Portland Public Schools community.  However, he wrote that the safety of staff, students and families are the district’s prime concern.

In his letter home, the Superintendent  asks “everyone to continue to practice physical distancing and stay safe.  I will be communicating again soon.”