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>> I THINK IT’S THE RIGHT DECISION. I THINK WE KIND OF ANTICIPATED IT. MIKE: KAITLIN SMITH UNDERSTANDS WHY THE GOVERNOR DECIDED TO KEEP SCHOOLS CLOSED AND FINISH THE YEAR THROUGH REMOTE LEARNING. IT’S A CHALLENGE THOUGH JUGGLING WORK AND GUIDING HER THREE YOUNG KIDS. >> MY CHILDREN, THEY WERE EXCITED, THEY WERE HOME. EVERYBODY IS IN THE SAME HOUSE. EVERYBODY IS GETTING MORE TIME TO PLAY. BUT I THINK THE NOVELTY IS WEARING OFF AND I THINK THE CONCERN IS GOING THROUGH THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. MIKE: EACH DISTRICT HAS CONTROL OVER ITS PROGRAM, BUT THE STATE IS ENCOURAGING A MOVE TO A PASS/FAIL GRADING SYSTEM TO HELP STUDENTS AND FAMILIES. CONCORD HIGH WILL GIVE THEM A CHOICE, A PASS/FAIL OPTION OR TAKE THE GRADE THAT THE STUDENT ACTUALLY EARNED. >> WHAT I’M HEARING FROM A LOT OF FOLKS IS WE’VE NEVER BEEN THIS CONNECTED WITH FAMILIES BEFORE BECAUSE WE’RE TALKING NOT ONLY TO THE STUDENT BUT WE’RE TALKING TO THE FAMILY AS WELL. MIKE: INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT FRANK BASS SAYS STUDENTS ARE RISING TO THE CHALLENGE FINDING NEW, CREATIVE WAYS TO LEARN. >> WE’VE GOT KIDS THAT ARE ACTUALLY DOING A NEWSPAPER AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. THEY’VE CREATED A NEWSPAPER. MIKE: SUNUNU SAYING IT WAS A TOUGH BUT NECESSARY MOVE. >> GRADUATION IS NOT GOING TO LOOK LIKE IT DOES FOR THEM, AS IT DID FOR MAYBE THEIR FRIENDS THAT HAD COME BEFORE THEM. SENIOR PROM, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE UNFORTUNATELY GOING TO LOOK VERY, VERY DIFFERENT MIKE: SCHOOL MAY NOT BE THE SAME IN SEPTEMBER EITHER. SUNUNU SAYS IT’LL NEED TO INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS WHO FELL BEHIND IN REMOTE LEARNING TO CATCH UP IN THE FA

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All public and private schools in New Hampshire will remain closed for the rest of the school year, and students will continue remote learning, the governor announced Thursday.>> Download the free WMUR appGov. Chris Sununu said the decision was not easy, but he said it was necessary to prevent the transmission of COVID-19."That's what we're going to do, continue with remote learning through the end of the school year," he said.>> Latest coronavirus coverage from WMURSununu said allowing students back in the classroom would increase the risk of asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus, which students could then bring home to their parents and grandparents. >> COVID-19 in NH: What you need to knowHe said New Hampshire has implemented remote learning well, describing the state as the "gold standard" in the country. But he noted there will be challenges, and the experiences of some students -- notably, high school seniors -- will be very different than previous classes.>> Watch full news conference"Graduation is not going to look like it does for them, as it did for maybe their friends that had come before them," Sununu said. "Senior prom, those kinds of things are, unfortunately, going to look very, very different."Sununu called for developing innovative ways to handle graduation and summer programs. All spring sports have also been canceled.The governor said schools should develop plans to help students in September who were unable to keep up with their studies in a remote learning environment."When we go to enter into September, it's not going to look like a normal September," Sununu said. "We need to make sure if there are gaps, if there are children who didn't complete or get far enough along with their curriculum as we had hoped, that we have the resources there to fill in those gaps to help them catch up, so there's going to be new norms all along the way."He also acknowledged the stress that remote learning and social distancing in general has placed on Granite Staters."I couldn't be more proud of the citizens of this state," Sununu said.Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut urged teachers to keep students focused even though they won't be returning to school buildings this year.The governor said individual school districts will determine how to handle grades."We want districts and principals and teachers to use as much flexibility as possible when it comes to grading," he said. "One thing we've appreciated is that the grading and assessment that can be done in the classroom is very different than can be done in remote learning. It's a completely different atmosphere, a completely different situation for these students."Visit this link to see a town-by-town map showing the number of cases in each community.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