Pennsbury school board president TR Kannan and superintendent Dr. William Gretzula released a joint statement concerning the reopening of schools for the 2020-21 academic year.
Several weeks ago, during a five-hour virtual meeting, the board voted to start the year fully virtual, with a hybrid option available on Oct. 5 depending on the COVID-19 situation. Additionally, students with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) would have the option for in-person learning from the start of the school year.
Amidst “mounting concerns around issues of health and safety, and thorough review of practical constraints around staffing, continuing uncertainty, and an analysis of multiple staff and community survey results,” Kannan and Gretzula recommended the following changes to be considered by the board at the Aug. 20 public meeting:
– Do not open our buildings on Sept. 8 for specialized learners, and instead meet their needs using specially-designed instruction in their home environment, both virtually and in-person (when determined necessary by an individual child’s team of professionals). This is supported by more than 150 teachers and nearly 140 paraprofessionals who indicated in staff surveys that they would be comfortable with going to students’ homes in those rare instances.
– Postpone the hybrid option until the end of the second marking period, which currently ends on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, for all students and focus all resources and efforts only on providing a robust virtual learning environment.
– Meet all students’ needs through a robust virtual learning model that is synchronous, structured, and delivered by Pennsbury teachers using Pennsbury curricula. Ensure this model is not the same learning experience that had to be delivered in an emergency fashion in the spring and is similar to an in-person model with accountability for both students and staff.
“Focusing on a single model for all students removes the risk and complications involved with matching 10,000 students with approximately 850 professional and 650 support personnel staff members across two learning platforms. Also, due to personal and household health concerns of our employees, it has become obvious that numerous positions would need to be filled to offer any kind of in-person learning,” the statement read.
“We understand and appreciate the challenges this creates for working families, concerns around mental health, lack of social interaction, and ability for students to learn online. We will continue to look at innovative options to address these issues.
“Certainly, we are all united in the goal to resume an education plan that brings everyone together safely inside our school buildings. That is where we are meant to me, and that is where we will return – eventually. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor conditions pertaining to safety, staffing, and educational effectiveness as we move into the new school year. We look forward to a time when we can look back together with Pennsbury Pride and be grateful for our continuing collaboration and ongoing achievements.”
