The outcome of the Council Rock school board meeting on Oct. 22 left half the community pleased, and the other half infuriated.
Board members postponed to Nov. 5 a vote on Superintendent Dr. Robert Fraser’s revised Continuity of Education plan, which targets Feb. 22 as the date to offer a five-day model for grades K-6.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, many parents rejoiced in the delay, stating an “all-in” model is too dangerous, especially after Council Rock North closed for several days due to a handful of COVID-19 cases within the student body. However, others want their children back in the classroom full-time. For these families, the hybrid model, which was introduced at the end of September, is simply not working.
The decision to postpone the vote was partly due to the board having only a few days to review the new plan prior to the meeting.
“Delaying two weeks could mean somebody loses their house. That’s the economy we’re in,” said Mark Byelich. “But we need time as a board, and I need time as a board member, to go through this data. We just got this plan Friday of last week.”
Kristin Marcell, on the other hand, wanted more time to discuss the proposed timeline. In short, she believed February to be too far away for a full-time option.
“Every day is another day that the status quo is leaving some people behind,” she said after reading a number of complaints emailed to her by students and parents alike. One seventh-grader shared how he’s “concerned about his future” because of his struggles with hybrid learning.
No matter what’s decided on Thursday, all seemed to be in agreement that Fraser’s interim plan to bring more students back could move forward. Currently, Cohort A attends in-person Monday and Tuesday, Cohort B attends Thursday and Friday, and all learn remotely on Wednesday. The plan states that beginning Nov. 18, the cohorts will attend in-person on alternating Wednesdays. Fraser said he also wants to explore options of increasing in-class time for students with IEPs from four days to five.
Additionally, the superintendent outlined steps the administration intends to take regarding the mental health of students and staff. Survey feedback from both bodies will be used to revise hybrid and virtual learning plans. If a five-day model is implemented and the district is forced to revert back to 100 percent remote, there will be a more robust system in place, which may result in a less stressful experience.
Fraser added that a web-based portal will soon be created for students and parents to submit “tickets” for assistance. He also suggested a voluntary QR code tracking system to help account for student presence in large gathering areas, such as lunch and in the four secondary schools. This would aid the Bucks County Department of Health in contact tracing. Several board members were not a fan of the latter idea.
Michael Thorwart said he’s a “no” for any plan that involves a QR code, and expressed annoyance that grades 7-12 were not mentioned at all in Fraser’s presentation.
“If you’re a junior or senior and you lose some schooling, there’s no time to get it back,” he said. “I don’t care if we’re in the middle of a pandemic. We should be striving to produce a full year of education, a full year of regular Council Rock education, and I have heard no mention of that.”
Marcell said although the idea of a QR code system is “creative,” it’s not a priority for her, and she would like more information at the next meeting.
If the five-day option is approved, Fraser stressed that a fully remote option will remain intact for families who do not feel comfortable with in-person instruction.
He went on to say that Feb. 22 is the target date for five days – since the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve on a daily basis, it’s impossible to set something in stone months beforehand. If the board agrees on the potential February start, parents will be resurveyed on their preference in early January, and the board will take a fresh look at the plan and how the virus is spreading locally after the holidays.
Also on Nov. 5, the Quarantine Health & Safety Plan will be revisited. As it stands, if a student or staff member is directly exposed to a COVID-positive individual, but is exhibiting no symptoms, the district is following CDC and state Department of Health guidelines, which state they must quarantine at home for 14 days. Exemptions are made at the discretion of Fraser and his pandemic team.
The other option on the table is “modified quarantine,” recommended by Bucks County Health Director Dr. David Damsker. Under this guidance, exposed individuals can continue attending school and work as long as they wear a mask, maintain 6 feet of social distancing and stay away from others while eating and completing other activities that require mask removal.
Visit crsd.org/ for more information.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
