NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- As more schools consider virtual learning options as a result of the coronavirus, they can learn from Pascack Valley schools in Bergen County.
The first time they tried virtual learning was six years ago during a blizzard, and they've done it three times since.
"And that was a really great experiment for us," said Superintendent Erik Gundersen. "We learned a lot about the pros and cons of virtual learning."
There are 2000 students in the two high schools in Pascack Valley, and each one has a computer.
"There were high expectations with the volume of work because we were afraid that we weren't giving students enough to do; turned out to be too much," Gundersen said. "So, we've really tempered the amount of work that students are doing.".
Students use their laptops for webcast videos and assignments, not Skype or web feeds.
"The key is, keep it simple, and be flexible," Gundersen said. "Making sure that students continue to be engaged, that's the difficult part,"
The district has never done more than two days of virtual learning, so a closure of several weeks will provide new challenges.
"It's certainly not ideal," Gundersen said, "but the coronavirus isn't ideal either."
Several colleges, including Hofstra University, Columbia University and Barnard College, have announced that they're cancelling classes. New York University has says they will have remote instruction from Wednesday to Friday.
The Scarsdale Public School District in Westchester has decided to cancel classes until March 18. Brearley School, an elite private all-girls school on the Upper East Side also canceled classes this week due to a student’s parent that is being tested for the virus.