Officials in Trumbull County have said that all public schools will switch to fully-remote learning and temporarily suspend sports.

This comes on the heels of a new health advisory issued by the county health department due to the increasing community spread of COVID-19.

County health officials say nearly half of county cases have occurred in just the last three weeks, and that the positivity rate has increased from 2.7% to 11.5% within the last four weeks.

As a result, all 20 public county school districts have agreed to go remote.

"It's awful. it is definitely not what we want. What we really want is to be in school every day," said  Lakeview Superintendent Velina Taylor.

Like schools, all across the state, Lakeview has been balancing remote and in-person learning. But, with more and more students having to quarantine because of COVID-19 spread, the district is joining all other county districts in the difficult decision to go fully remote.

It's not just students facing the virus and having to isolate. Teachers and staff are feeling the strain too.

"Which makes it almost impossible to find substitutes to man our classrooms at this time. It's getting a lot harder day-by-day," said Trumbull County Educational Service Center Superintendent Mike Hanshaw.

So out of an abundance of caution, schools all across the county agreed they will not return after Thanksgiving Break. Instead remain remote through at least January 3rd.

The good news though,  teachers and students, like those in Girard, are more prepared than ever for the online classroom.

"(We) probably have done a 180 in terms of where we were in Spring of 2020," said Girard Superintendent Bryan O'hara.

Sports are also temporarily suspended, at least through December 22nd,  when the situation will be re-evaluated.