The Butler Area School District is changing course about returning to in-person instruction for students next week.

Superintendent Brian White posted an update on the district website Friday evening saying remote instruction will remain in use from Monday through Friday and that he will provide another operational update for the week of Dec. 14.

He said he made the decision after consulting with Dr. David Rottinghaus, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs at Butler Health System, who reported a “tremendous surge” in COVID-19 cases and recommended the district continue using remote instruction.

On Wednesday, the district announced that in-person instruction for elementary students would resume on Thursday and secondary students would begin cohort in-person instruction on Dec. 14. Those plans have been canceled.

The Karns City Area School District is returning to in-person instruction four days a week beginning this week.Beginning Monday, the district will transition to a 4-and-1 model, which means all students will learn remotely one day per week and attend school in-person four days per week.Remote learning days will occur on the following Mondays throughout the school year: Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 21, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 22, Mar. 1, Mar. 8, Mar. 15, Mar. 22, Mar. 29, Apr. 12, Apr. 19, Apr. 26, May 3, May 10, May 17, and May 24.During the Monday remote learning days, students will be expected to log into their teachers' Google Classrooms during school hours to access school content.Students enrolled in the virtual instruction program are unaffected by the change, but their parents should contact their respective schools if they wish to transition back to in-person instruction.