Shaler Area School Board greenlights 4-day, in-person schedule - TribLIVE

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Shaler Area students can return to the classroom four days a week, beginning in March, through a phased transition approved Feb. 17 by the school board.

Under the plan, the district’s youngest learners would have the option to return first.

As proposed, students in kindergarten through third grade can be back in-person on March 8, followed on March 15 by students in fourth through sixth grades.

Superintendent Sean Aiken said his team recommends an April start for high school students, but dates were not specific.

The vote was approved 7-2, with board members Jason Machajewski and Steve Romac opposing.

Romac said he agreed with the four-day return but not the timeline.

Families will get an emailed commitment form Feb. 19, followed by town hall sessions for those looking for more information. Multiple session dates are available on the district’s website.

Return to school dates are subject to change with guidelines from the state Department of Education and health officials, and pending the rate of covid-19 cases regionally and within the district.

“The transition will provide the structure and educational services needed for the youngest and most vulnerable learners and also balance meeting the needs of families and protecting their health and safety,” Aiken said during a lengthy presentation.

The state’s top health officials in January encouraged districts to return elementary school students to classrooms, at least partially. They noted that research and data indicate low transmission levels among young children in the classroom setting.

Families will retain the option of a 100% virtual learning option, which appeared to be the preference of at least 25% of the respondents to a district survey.

Assistant Superintendent Bryan O’Black detailed the results of the survey, which garnered 2,692 responses. There are about 4,000 students in the district.

He said 74.6% of those who answered said they would send their child to four-day in-person classes with the understanding that 6 feet of social distancing is not feasible. Nearly 40% of the respondents said they felt “very comfortable” with the district having to deviate from the 6 foot social distancing guideline in order to return students to school.

Aiken cited research that elementary students prosper with direct contact with teachers and peers, and further research that the spread of covid-19 among younger students is significantly lower than with high-schoolers.

“With up to 30% saying they will opt into all-virtual, our classes will not be as crowded as they would in a normal year,” he said. “But social distancing is something we will need to constantly monitor.”

Mitigation practices such as masks and hand-washing would be in place at all times, O’Black said.

The schedule for classes would be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Classes will be cleaned daily, and hospital-grade electrostatic sprayers will be used for additional disinfecting.

Families are urged to do a daily symptom screening before sending students to school.

That is particularly important, officials said, since the high school has been closed for a high case count for two weeks.

According to the district’s rolling 14-day covid-19 tracker, there were 36 cases across the district, with 18 of them at the high school.

Several people spoke out against the timeline for the high school’s return, saying parents wanted their children back full-time months ago.

“It’s sad that we can’t pull this together, that we can’t get them in school safely,” one parent said.

“Why isn’t five-day an option?”

Crystal Lehmeier argued from firsthand experience that children in school perform better.

She has a child with an IEP who has attended in-person classes throughout the pandemic and who is excelling in school compared to a second child who has been floundering while learning from home, Lehmeier said.

Some others, like Melissa Ravas, lauded the board for its thoughtfulness.

“For us parents who are trying to follow the guidelines of the CDC, we are concerned about going back to school with 28 kids in a room where 6 feet of distance is nowhere near possible,” she said.

Likewise, Maria Eshelman told the audience that returning to school safely relies on actions outside the classroom.

“It’s not just school’s responsibility,” she said. “It’s very important that we do what we’re supposed to do at home. You might not be able to have (parties) but those activities will come again. In order to stay in school we have to be good stewards.”

Aiken said that district officials would love to flip a switch and return to normal but he is bound to look at the big picture – the safety of 4,000 students and 350 teachers, among other staff.

“We feel strongly that four-day classes are the next progression. It may not be quick but the reality is we’re all walking through this for the first time and our goal is to meet the needs of the students,” he said. “The pandemic is real, and there are real concerns. We have to take safety into consideration and step through it in a way that makes sense.”

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya at 412-782-2121 x1512, tpanizzi@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Allegheny | Local | Shaler Journal