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Maine education commissioner recommends schools keep remote learning for remainder of school year amid coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic

In a letter Tuesday, Commissioner Pender Makin recommend that Maine schools stick with online, remote learning due to the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic

MAINE, USA — Editor’s note: You are starting to hear the term ‘flattening the curve’ as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means. 

Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin wrote a letter to the state's educational leaders Tuesday night recommending that schools replace classroom instruction with remote/distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. 

"It is difficult to make such a recommendation, recognizing the profound challenge of reinventing public education and the many culminating events and rites of passage that educators and students anticipate all year long," Makin wrote. "I also realize that this recommendation will be difficult for families to hear, given the challenges of childcare and managing school expectations on top of the other significant impacts of this state and national emergency."

Makin also reiterated that the SAT tests will not be required or even offered to this year’s 3rd-year high school students. The SAT will not be required for college admission at any Maine college or university, either. 

"In addition, we are hearing that colleges and universities across the country are following suit. NPR reported about this last week," Makin wrote. 

Read Commissioner Pender Makin's full letter here.

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

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