Deciding to temporarily return to remote learning was not an easy decision for Norristown Area School District Superintendent Christopher Dormer, but the rise in COVID-19 cases has forced his hand, write Scott Calvert and Douglas Belkin for The Wall Street Journal.

On Monday morning, Dormer learned that about 11 percent of the district’s employees would be absent due to the coronavirus.

“When we started seeing the numbers climb really across the board — when nurses started dropping out, when we started hearing reports that bus driver absences might become problematic — the sum total of it said: You know what? We need to take a collective pause,” said Dormer.

The decision has had a ripple effect throughout the community.

The student body in the district is primarily poor or working-class and minority. Most of the parents are not able to work remotely, which forced them to frantically adjust their work schedules, leaving other businesses in the area struggling to stay open.

Currently, the district plans on returning to in-person next week, assuming staff levels rebound. Parents have the option to keep their children remote through Jan. 21.

Read more about the Norristown Area School District in The Wall Street Journal.