The Pennsylvania Department of Education said Wednesday that school districts are allowed to resume in-person teaching and other activities July 1, but local school leaders say it’s unlikely they’ll be able to resume normal operations by then.
Before schools can open, districts are required to create their own health and safety plans. School leaders said they’ll be challenged to draw up those plans and get approval by their respective school boards by July 1. Most districts are setting their sights on a fall reopening.
Kiski Area School District had already announced a fall plan before the state’s announcement, deciding to maintain distance learning at the onset. A hybrid model will subsequently be developed to incorporate virtual and in-person learning. The state’s new guidelines don’t change that plan, Kiski Area School District Superintendent Tim Scott said.
“It reaffirms our approach to just trying to keep our community informed, because there really isn’t anything coming out at this point,” he said.
Highlands School District Superintendent Monique Mawhinney sent a recorded message to parents saying the district won’t be in a position to begin phased reopening by July 1. She said a health and safety plan hasn’t been created. A task force will be formed to create a plan and deal with significant restrictions.
Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and the nonprofit One PA likewise announced a plan that focuses on next school year. The plan, according to a news release, involves 16 subcommittees dedicated to gathering input from various community stakeholders.
Catherine Augustine, a senior policy researcher at the nonprofit research firm, RAND Corp., said she was pleased districts can start reopening buildings in some capacity for the fall, but it’s unlikely larger districts can shift back to in-person learning in time for the start of summer programs.
The recent news comes after RAND found drastic learning loss caused by the pandemic. One RAND survey showed that nationally, only 12% of teachers reported covering their entire curriculum this year.
“Overall, it’s a pretty dismal picture,” Augustine said. “I’m still pessimistic that summer programs can be done in person this summer, but I do think that schools should do what they can to open with in-person instruction.”
Allowing buildings to reopen in July likely won’t help summer programs resume as normal, Augustine said. She said the July date likely was made to allow teachers and administrators back into the buildings so they could start making physical adjustments ready for the fall.
Next week, for instance, administrators for Greater Latrobe School District will meet with their counterparts at neighboring Derry Area and Ligonier Valley districts to coordinate their fall instruction plans. For now, Greater Latrobe is considering a hybrid plan that will have students alternate reporting to classrooms while others learn from home.
At Hempfield Area School District, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said the extended school year — what most people think of when they hear “summer school” — will be online, as it is most years. In light of the recent announcement, the district is meeting to discuss necessary safety measures for athletic practices, camps and other programs.
When schools do return under new health and safety guidelines, Augustine said it is unlikely learning will be able to return to its normal rate like in a typical school year.
“When a brand new school opens, like a charter school or even a new public school, there is an achievement gap in that first year because people are focusing on all of the logistics and the procedures,” Augustine said.
She predicted the same will be true for schools reopening under new health and safety guidelines. Adjusting to and enforcing all of the requirements on mask-wearing, busing and athletics could take time away from developing curricula and pedagogy, she said. Still, she is hopeful there will be more learning than there was in the last few months of the 2019-20 school year, which has been “a wash” for a lot of students.
Teghan Simonton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, tsimonton@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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Many school leaders say they won't be able to resume normal operations by July 1 - TribLIVE
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