PRIORITIES: Pittsburgh Public Schools earn poor marks for NFL draft closure.
In an email to district staff, Superintendent Wayne Walters said students will shift to remote learning for three days to minimize disruption and keep the focus on instruction. The NFL draft, taking place in downtown Pittsburgh, is expected to draw as many as 700,000 visitors, according to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
Pittsburgh Public Schools operates 54 schools that serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Only one of those schools is located in the city core, while most are miles from the event. With a total enrollment of around 20,000 students, the decision affects not only students but also caregivers and the students at 136 private, parochial, and charter schools who rely on the district for transportation.
The district has to reschedule the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment testing to later dates that have not been released due to the closure of in-person learning.
In a news release Tuesday, Waters said the district’s priority is maintaining continuity of learning while recognizing the extraordinary circumstances the city will experience during the NFL draft.
Pretty sure we learned during the stupid COVID lockdowns that remote learning is BS.