DOVER — Capital School District will delay its full remote instruction for secondary students, the school board decided in a special meeting Wednesday. 

Students in grades five through 12 will not attend any in-person instruction until at least Monday, Jan. 4. Secondary students hadn’t yet returned to hybrid instruction; they were scheduled to begin Nov. 30. 

Students in grades pre-K to four and special programs, who have been able to receive hybrid instruction since earlier this month, will continue using the current hybrid model, however. Kent County Community School main site will resume face-to-face instruction on Dec. 3.   

“As with all decisions during this pandemic, this one was not made lightly,” Interim Superintendent Sylvia Henderson said in a message posted Wednesday evening. “Great thought and consideration was placed into the decision. As always, the Capital School District must continue to keep the safety of our students, families and teachers at the forefront of our decision-making throughout this crisis.”

Capital was one of the last districts to bring students back to hybrid learning in Kent County. Other districts, however, have also gone remote in this time period after several positive cases, or in anticipation of large gatherings during the holiday.  

The decision comes as more COVID-19 cases are being reported in the state and country, though state officials have said that the transmission of the virus in schools is low.