Thursday March 28th, 2024 2:39PM

Riverside Military Academy to close campus Friday, switch to remote learning

Riverside Military Academy announced Friday the school will conclude fall semester early and switch to remote learning.

The boarding school will send cadets home beginning Friday. On Saturday, cadets who have tested positive for COVID-19 and roughly 70 others who were identified as close contacts will be released from isolation wings on campus on Saturday. Cadets who cannot return home immediately will stay on campus for the next week, but complete the semester digitally.

In response to COVID-19, RMA created a "bubble" on campus with no visitors and no leave for the first six weeks after the start of school on August 10. A brief weekend leave was offered at the end of the six weeks, and cadets were tested upon their return with no positive results. Also, the school has a policy requiring masks, stressed the importance of hygiene and social distancing. The Fall semester interscholastic athletic program was also canceled. 

“We started this semester with an aggressive schedule that kept the cadets in class six days a week, but it was in-person learning and parents were supportive,” said COL Staƛ Preczewski, president. “In addition to regular testing we invested close to $1 million in thermal temperature scanners, no-touch water dispensers, hand sanitizer stations across the campus, increased cleaning and sanitation protocols, and the addition of a nurse practitioner to the Academy’s infirmary staff.” “I’m extremely proud of the way these young men have conducted themselves under challenging circumstances. They will take life lessons away from this semester,” said Preczewsk.

Fall semester ends November 24. Spring semester is tentatively scheduled to reopen in mid-January.

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