BY MATT LINDSEY

North Country This Week

POTSDAM — Potsdam Central High School plans to add a third day of in-person learning for its students because of an increase in high schoolers moving to remote instruction.

HS Principal Mark Bennett said there were 120 students learning remote at the beginning of the school year, and now there are about 180.

He said 202 students will attend in person and the largest class size will be 21 students. In that instance, the library will be used to facilitate social distancing.

“Mr. Bennett really feels were are at the point now where we really don’t need to have two separate cohorts coming in two days a week,” PCS Superintendent Joanna Chambers said. “There are few enough students who want to be in person, that we can combine those cohorts into a single in-person group and have that group attend three days a week instead of two.”

Teachers would teach students remotely on Mondays and Fridays under this plan, she said.

Chambers said she did not a downside to offering students three days on in-person instruction other than the possibility of an increased number of students needing to quarantine if their is a positive case in the district.

Principal Bennett said he realizes some parents may not be comfortable with the increased number of students in school and could opt to move their child to remote learning.

 “I think everybody would agree that students learn the best when they’re in person,” said Board member Josh Fiske.

In an opposite trend, more elementary students are learning in-person now, than were at the start of the school year, school officials said.

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