Pelham Memorial High School students found in their inbox Tuesday night a request to sign a petition calling for a five-day school closure in response to COVID-19. By 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, it had garnered 342 signatures, according to Michael Northrup, a PHMS senior and organizer of the petition.

A  parent petition had collected eight signatures.

The concern cited in the petition is the New Rochelle containment zone established by New York State on Tuesday because of COVID-19. Schools inside of the zone, including the New Rochelle High School, were ordered closed for a two-week period.

The petition said that following the five-day PMHS closure, the district should reevaluate opening, taking into account the safety perspective. The five-day period would allow school officials to “make a well informed decision,” the petition said.

Northrup said if people read the text of the petition, they will be more inclined to support it. He said the district has five unused snow days left, which can be put towards a closure.

Alex Wolff, public information officer for the Pelham Union Free School District, declined to comment before seeing the petition.