It appears that Rhode Island students won't be heading back to classes on August 31st after all. Governor Raimondo is backing off her previous announcement about all districts starting simultaneously the week before Labor Day. In an exclusive interview with NBC10 reporter Ashley Cullinane, Raimondo said: “We’re not opening until we’re ready. I want schools to open. We need to get these kids back in school. It will be safe to get them back in school if we do it right. We need a little more time. The planning to get this right with the testing, the transportation, the mask wearing, extra space in the classroom."
"It’s just a lot of planning. I promised everybody we’re not going to do it until we’re ready," she told Cullinane. The governor says the reasons for the delay include giving parents, teacher and students more time to prepare, and the need to make sure testing is readily available.
Governor Raimondo is expected to make an official announcement about the altered plan and the new projected start date for classes in Wednesday's 1pm press conference. You can hear that briefing live on NewsRadio 920 & 104.7FM, or listen on the iHeartRadio app:
photo: NBC 10 - WJAR video clip (file)