SANDUSKY, Ohio — Sandusky City Schools announced Sunday night that its middle and high school students will have a week of virtual learning due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. 

The district said that virtual learning will run from Tuesday through Friday, using Monday as a transition day. Sandusky Schools will reassess and update parents by Labor Day for the following week. The district is among the first in Ohio during this school year to convert to virtual learning due to the coronavirus. 

Although instruction will be held virtually, the district will continue having in-person extracurricular activities. 

Sandusky Superintendent Eugene Sanders said the district isn’t implementing a mask mandate at this time, but added that the schools “reserve the right to do that in the best interest of safety for our kids.”

“We must take this virus seriously,” Sanders said. “We've been attempting to provide as much flexibility and as many options as we can for our students and our faculty and our staff. We want to encourage you to wear a mask, wear a face covering. We want to encourage you to utilize social distancing where you can. If we want to stay in school, and if we want to have as regular a school year as possible, we're going to have to abide by these guidelines.”

On Friday, the district reported four confirmed COVID-19 cases among students and three among staff members. 

The Ohio Department of Education issued quarantine guidelines for those who have come in contact with infected students and staff within the classroom. The guidelines call on contacts who have not worn a mask and maintained three feet of distance to quarantine for seven days and seek a COVID-19 test five days after exposure. 

Sandusky City Schools said it made COVID-19 testing available at the high school Monday morning. The district's middle and high schools were also open Monday morning to allow students to pick up any materials or technology required for online learning. 

The district said it will make school lunches available this week for affected students. Further details are available on the district’s website. 

Spectrum News 1 reporter Pete Grieve contributed to this report.