Governor John Carney urged Delaware schools to return to hybrid learning -- a mix of remote and in-person learning -- starting Monday, Jan. 11. 

The letter, which was sent to school leaders, educators and parents on Tuesday, was signed by Carney along with Dr. Karyl Rattay, Delaware’s Director of Public Health, and Dr. Susan Bunting, Delaware’s Secretary of Education. 

“As we have said many times, we do not believe there is a public health reason to close schools,” they wrote. “We have spent the past four weeks helping schools try to address the operational challenges they are experiencing. And we can all agree that students learn best when they're in school. For all of these reasons, we are recommending that districts and schools make every effort to return to hybrid learning on January 11.”

A previous letter from Carney in December recommended that schools facing challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic take a “pause” between Dec. 14 and Jan. 8 and only stick with remote learning. 

“Many of you followed this recommendation, and we hope this period of fully remote instruction combined with the winter holidays has given teachers and administrators a chance to recharge, reorganize, and get ready for the rest of the school year,” Carney wrote. 

Tuesday’s letter also urged schools to prioritize younger and more vulnerable students for in-person learning if operational challenges continued. 

The Delaware Division of Public Health also launched a new, schools-focused coronavirus dashboard which will track the number of contagious cases among staff and students at Delaware schools. It will also offer a more detailed picture of COVID-19 infection in school buildings, officials said.