As COVID cases climb, more schools opting for in-person learning
Bentworth School District has held in-person classes since the start of the school year. In Mrs. Nicole Ball’s second-grade class, desks have been set up following social distancing protocol, and students, along with teachers, are required to wear masks.
Students in Amy Gesso’s kindergarten class at Bentworth Elementary School sit at desks in October with plexiglass guards, one of the measures the school district implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bentworth kindergarten students have attended in-person classes since the start of the school year.
One month after students in Greene County’s Jefferson-Morgan School District returned to the classroom four days a week, there have been no cases of coronavirus.
“I could not be more proud of our staff and students,” said Superintendent Joseph Orr. “Everybody’s who’s a part of our Jefferson-Morgan family knows that if any one of them does not do what they have to do, we’d go backwards. It’s been so gratifying because everybody is trying to do the best job they can, and right now we’re seeing a level of success.”
Like Jefferson-Morgan, many school districts in Washington and Greene counties are bringing students back after starting the year on a hybrid schedule that called for students to attend in-person classes two days a week and remote instruction the remaining days.
Burgettstown Area School District announced that beginning Nov. 2, elementary students who are currently following a hybrid schedule will return to school five days a week. Middle school and high school students will attend in-person classes four days a week and learn asynchronously on Wednesdays. The remote learning option will remain for elementary, middle school and high school students for the rest of the school year.
All of the school districts are facing the same challenges: Providing a quality education while keeping staff, students, and their communities safe.
Administrators say it has not been easy, but the teachers and staff are working hard to make sure students can stay in school.
“Throughout the challenges of this school year, our primary goal has not changed: to deliver a quality educational experience to all families, in-school and at home, in a way that minimizes exposure and disruption to the extent possible,” said Dr. James Walsh, Burgettstown superintendent.
Components of Burgettstown’s reopening plan included providing safe school, offering choices for families, providing high-quality education, and emphasizing social-emotional well-being.
School administrators say keeping the schools safe is a team effort that requires strict adherence to rules, including wearing masks, and staying home when sick.
“We try to educate students every day, especially about wearing masks and washing hands, and they’ve been great about it. Mask-wearing has not been an issue,” said Charleroi Area Superintendent Ed Zelich.
The Charleroi district reopened four days a week on Oct. 5, after starting the first 4 1/2 weeks of the school year virtually (the district concentrated on implementing its online learning program and cleaning and sanitizing). On Fridays, students learn virtually and the buildings and grounds are deep-cleaned.
Charleroi has reported one positive COVID-19 case – a teacher who has recovered and returned to the classroom.
About 80% of students returned to in-person classes, while 20% are learning online.
“I think our plan made us better and more prepared for the school year. Working remotely those first 4 1/2 weeks made us much better at delivering online instruction,” said Zelich. “We worry every day, but we’re prudent, and we follow safety measures. We know it will happen, and we have plans for shifting gears if and when it does happen. We’re prepared.”
The return to the classroom, he said, is important for students who have not done as well with the online option.
“Some students just don’t learn virtually; it’s not their best learning model,” he said.
At Bethlehem Center School District, elementary students have returned to school four days a week, and beginning Nov. 9, middle and high school students will transition to in-person learning using a hybrid model, said Superintendent Chris Sefcheck.
Not all districts are returning to full-time, in-person learning.
Washington School Board voted recently to remain on the hybrid model adopted at the beginning of the school year until the conclusion of the first semester at the end of January. Canon-McMillan School District also remains on a hybrid schedule.
COVID cases in Western Pennsylvania are rising. On Friday, the positivity rate for Washington County was 5.9%. In Greene County, the positivity rate was 3.3% Both counties are in the moderate level of community transmission. The World Health Organization recommends interventions when positivity rates exceed 5%.
Said Jefferson-Morgan’s Orr, “Because of our rural nature, that plays heavily in our favor. Our rate is a little bit lower.”
He said the positivity rate is one of the factors the school district considers when determining how many days to remain open, or whether or not it should operate remotely.
Canon-Mac parent Jenna Palmieri, who has kindergarten and first-grade students in the district and works full time from home, along with her husband, is frustrated that the students have not returned full time to school.
“My desire is to get back to five days a week. It’s frustrating when you see other school districts do it with success,” said Palmieri.
Jefferson-Morgan opened the school year with a hybrid schedule, with two groups attending in-person classes two days a week.
In October, the district moved to four days of face-to-face instruction and one day of virtual instruction.
At its most recent October school board meeting, Jefferson-Morgan directors opted to stay in its Phase 2 reopening plan – four days of face-to-face instruction – in November and December because of the number of school holidays, the impending flu season, and increases of recorded COVID-19 cases in the region.
Avella, West Greene, Ringgold, Bentworth, Fort Cherry, and Peters Township school districts have held full-time, in-person classes since the school year began, while Trinity and Chartiers-Houston recently expanded in-person school days.
On the day the Chartiers-Houston school board voted to return to classes, the district informed parents a high school student tested positive. Two more students have since tested positive.
Peters Township has had isolated COVID-19 cases in four schools, and the high school was closed because of coronavirus cases in early September.
Public relations director Shelly Belcher said the district completed its first nine-week grading period this week, and several students who began remotely have returned to the classroom.
“Our staff and students are diligently following our health and safety plan, and the reward is that we have stayed in school,” said Belcher.
Bentworth has reported one COVID-19 case, while Ringgold has had several cases.
At Fort Cherry, about 79% of students are attending traditional, in-person classes, while 21% are attending FC Cyber Academy.
Bentworth Superintendent Scott Martin said the decision to hold in-person classes was made after considering several factors, including parents’ schedules, internet challenges for some families, and the emotional toll on students.
“We are trying to provide the best environment we can, given the challenges we’re facing,” said Martin.
Instructionally, there are changes that the district implemented that have benefited students’ education.
The district increased the length of classes and shortened the number of classes per day at the high school, which will increase annual instructional time.
Like other school districts, Bentworth has made physical changes – the district installed plexiglass between desks, improved its air- conditioning system to help with ventilation, and placed large tents outside the high school and middle school to increase social distancing during lunch.
Administrators emphasized that it takes collective responsibility to keep schools open amid the pandemic. They also acknowledged that they could end up reverting to online classes as conditions change.
“I remain impressed and grateful for the efforts of our students, families, faculty, staff and the administrators to bring us successfully to this point,” said Walsh. “We continue to count on the commitment from all of us to adhere to the guidelines and requirements to maintain the health and safety of all persons in our care.”