EAST PROVIDENCE — One sentence in Governor Gina Raimondo’s weekly briefing on Rhode Island’s response to the raging COVID-19 pandemic drew the ire of school superintendents around the state who have recently made the decision to temporary halt in-person instruction and move to distance learning, including East Providence’s Kathryn Crowley.

“To those superintendents who go virtual, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself to work a little harder” Gov. Raimondo said when discussing the pandemic's impact on schools Thursday afternoon, Dec. 10.

Those remarks came two days after Superintendent Crowley joined her counterpart from Cranston in going all virtual through at least the rest of the calendar year beginning Monday, Dec. 14. As of the governor’s comments, leaders of five other districts — Burrillville, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, Johnston and West Warwick — had made similar plans with a sixth, Smithfield, likely going the distance route starting Wednesday, Dec. 16.

“I look in the mirror every single day, and I feel I made the best decision for the health and safety of all students and staff in East Providence,” said an obviously irked Superintendent Crowley last Thursday evening.

“I am upset, absolutely, I’m very upset,” she continued. “I would say to anyone, ‘walk in my shoes.’ I’m extremely upset. Every district is a little different, and there are some suburban districts who may be able to get through this, but we can’t. It’s a staffing issue. We just don’t have enough staff, even with substitutes, to keep these buildings open.”

Superintendent Crowley alerted the East Providence School Committee at its December 8 meeting of her decision. The district has dealt with a steady, near overwhelming stream of positive test results and corresponding close contacts over the last several weeks as virus levels exploded around the state, which have made holding in-person classes more and more difficult.

East Providence will continue to distance learn through the holiday recess with an eye toward getting back into schools on Monday, Jan. 4.

As part of her weekly briefing, Gov. Raimondo cited a pilot test program conducted at the Ella Risk Elementary School in Central Falls where of 182 asymptomatic results there was a positivity rate of just 1.6%. The governor used the example as a reason why schools should remain open even as she extended the state’s “pause” into a third week and as the surge in positively rates in Rhode Island made it first nationally in COVID-19 cases.

“We’ve tried everything. We’ve hired substitutes, long-term substitutes, but even our subs have had positive tests,” Superintendent Crowley added. “It’s kept me up at night, wondering when my next principal is going to call and tell me someone else has tested positive.

“This was a very, very difficult decision. As I said the other night, we all know the best place for children to learn is in the classroom, but out of an abundance of caution and the safety of everyone, I think this was the best decision I could have made.”