School Doesn't Stop for Seattle Students Sent Home in Wake of Coronavirus

(Inside Edition)

In the wake of coronavirus, more than 380 schools around the nation have shuttered in-person classes, but that hasn't stopped some students from continuing to learn remotely.

Recommended Videos



A school district in suburban Seattle, Washington, ordered more than 23,000 students to stay home and use a video conferencing tool to virtually attend classes online.

Three of those students, siblings Emma, Alicia and Benjamin Jurado, have gathered around their dining room table to complete their lessons each day. But they sometimes run into problems with distracting each other.

"For the most part, they're OK," said their mom Grace, who is also working from home to supervise the kids. "But we run into little issues where someone's talking along with their work and other people are trying to concentrate." 

The impact of the virus has also reached college students, with a growing number of universities cancelling in-person classes.

The closures began in Washington state, and now include Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University and Hofstra University, among others, according to NPR. As of Tuesday, at least half a million students were affected.

Harvard administrators reportedly came under fire for advising students to move out of their dorms by March 15 and continue classes remotely from home, which the Dean of Student's Office said was an "effort to de-densify our community."

“It’s going to cost a lot, a lot of money and I think a lot of people are going to have trouble finishing their classes at home,” one student told CBS Boston. 

In a message to students, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said Tuesday that the goal of the changes was to "minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity with each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings."

RELATED STORIES

What Is 'Social Distancing'? And Other Steps to Prevent Coronavirus

Asian-Americans Create Coronavirus Comedy to Take Back Narrative and Dispel Myths Around the Disease

5 Myths About Coronavirus, Debunked