Newark School Superintendent Roger Leon said in a letter to parents that starting as soon as Thursday, in-person classes will not be in session. 

The news comes the same week the city reintroduced its mask mandate.

The district moved its January staff development day to Thursday, saying that before then, parents will be getting help from the schools in getting their remote learning locations and instructions. Here is a portion of the letter to parents:   

"COVID-19 continues to be a brutal, relentless, and ruthless virus that rears its ugly head at inopportune times. With the number of positive cases on the upswing, we cannot let our guard down. We are redoubling our efforts to be prepared for any necessary changes and a potential pivot to remote instruction." 

"To be honest, I'd rather be safe than sorry, so if the principal or committee feels it's safe to do for a month versus another whole year and that's the best thing to do,” says Crystal, of Newark.

The plan for Newark is to return in January for now, but they are prepared to potentially go remote. Some other schools may move to remote learning sooner than others.