Penn Hills School District approves reopening plan, moves start date to Sept. 8 - TribLIVE

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Penn Hills School District officials unanimously approved their reopening plan Wednesday night and pushed back the start of the upcoming school year.

The reopening plan includes hybrid learning as well as an online option for families not confident just yet with sending their children back into the buildings during the covid-19 pandemic.

According to the plan, students will be placed into two groups with one group in school buildings Mondays and Tuesdays. The other group will be in class Thursdays and Fridays.

They will receive online instruction Wednesdays and the other weekdays they are not in a school building. Students will be required to wear face coverings in school and on buses. Staffers also will be wearing masks.

That arrangement will be used for at least the first quarter of the school year.

The first day of classes was moved from Aug. 25 to Tuesday, Sept. 8 for safety reasons.

Board President Erin Vecchio said the board was concerned about upticks in covid-19 cases, and she also received multiple emails from parents asking for more time to prepare for the return to school after vacations.

The board received feedback prior to the vote. Some parents such as Jill Scott, suggested keeping the original Aug. 25 start date, but having all online learning for the first nine weeks.

“If the concern is numbers or cases, why not get the school year started, start virtually and reevaluate,” Scott asked. “We can’t push it off too far.”

Board members said the extra time will not only help families, but will give staffers more of an opportunity to train for the hybrid and online teaching models. Teachers and instructional staff areexpected to report to work Aug. 19.

Parent Sunshine Zuk was in favor of postponing the start of the 2020-21 school year.

“I think if the question is more time for the staff to get acquainted with everything and get set in doing the hybrid, then definitely I think the 8th to get them the extra time,” Zuk said. “If it’s just the numbers, I agree with Jill. Why don’t we start virtual and we can always adjust. I think we all know that the numbers are changing every day. There’s always a chance no matter what we say. We can end up in virtual only no matter what we want.”

A parental survey indicated about 1,250 students want to return to schools while about 1,900 might continue online learning.

Vecchio said the district could shift to all online learning at the start of the year should things get worse.

“These numbers go on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “I don’t want to put anybody in jeopardy. I don’t want anybody to have to come to work when they don’t feel they can come to work. I think if we take it to the day after Labor Day and see how the numbers come back and people come back from vacations then we can re-look at it again.”

Board member Michael Tauro said safety is the district’s top priority.

“We’re there for the students, bottom line,” Tauro said. “We’re not there for us, but we have to make the kids safe and accountable. I think the 8th is a good day to start. It’s not early. It’s not late. If we push it further, it’s going to mess (with) the end of school. Are they going to go to school in July? That’s what we’re trying to reason out. If the pandemic shoots through the roof again, then we have to look at it.”

Pandemic changes

The district is working on getting computers for all students to assist with the online and hybrid-learning models. Students in either plan would be taught by district teachers.

Reopening plans also indicate lockers will not be assigned for students in sixth through 12th grades, and there will be limited access to classroom cubbies during the school day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Cubby contents must be taken home daily by students to allow for after-school cleaning.

Social distancing of at least 6 feet between and among students and staff work spaces is also part of the plan.

Reopening plans also included parents performing wellness and temperature checks on their children before sending them to school. Any child feeling ill or showing symptoms should stay home.

The school board voted 6-3 to hire Mobile Health Services to also do temperature checks at the schools.

Vecchio, Tauro, Vice President Yusef Thompson Sr. and board members Jackie Blakey-Tate, Kristopher Wiegand and Evelyn Herbert supported the agreement. Finance committee chairman Rob Marra and board members Meryl Thomas and Elizabeth Rosemeyer dissented.

The deal with the Trafford-based company costs a little more than $5,000 per week. District officials hope to acquire federal grants to pay for the service.

Vecchio said it’s a day-to-day service that can be canceled at any time, and parents do not have time to do proper health screenings of their kids prior to school. She also noted they were the lowest of three proposals.

Rosemeyer said the board should have more time to properly vet the company prior to a vote.

Thompson said the district does not have the money to pay Mobile Health Services, and there’s not enough scientific evidence that suggests temperature checks make schools safer. She also noted some board members did not see any other proposals.

More information about the district’s reopening is available on it’s website, phsd.k12.pa.us.

Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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Penn Hills School District approves reopening plan, moves start date to Sept. 8 - TribLIVE

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