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MILL HALL -- The Pennsylvania Department of Education is preparing for schools to re-open for the 2020-21 school year. With that in mind, Keystone Central superintendent Jacquelyn Martin addressed the school board during its voting session on Thursday night.
During the meeting -- which was held via Zoom -- Martin said that the district recently sent out parental surveys to gather information about how students, parents and families view the upcoming school year.
"We've had a lot of folks respond already and I hope that everyone takes time to complete this brief survey," Martin said.
She asked that those families who have not done so complete the survey as soon as possible so the district can compile the additional data from the responses.
According to Martin, she and her team have been working "diligently every day" to develop a re-opening plan for Keystone Central.
"I expect that our plan will be ready for public review in early July and we'll be seeking official board approval on July 16, 2020," Martin said.
Martin showed the board three options for the fall. The "Flexible Learning Solutions" are:
Learn at Home -- The "Learn at Home" option would feature remote learning with the KCSD curriculum and KCSD teachers. Another option would be the "KCSD Virtual Academy."
Hybrid -- Students work on remote learning (KCSD curriculum or KCSD Virtual Academy) at school in a learning environment that follows increased safety precautions.
Learn at School -- Face-to-face instruction in the traditional classroom following as many safety precautions as possible.
Those options are on the table, Martin said, because some parents have voiced concerns about having their children return to a traditional public school setting.
She noted that the district is taking all proper precautions and is in the process of purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves, face shields, gowns and sanitizer to meet the guideline provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
The district is also looking at using a grant to purchase more technology -- laptops and tablets -- so that students do not have to share equipment.
"That's no longer an option in today's world," Martin said.
Martin said that she is concerned about the two schools in the district -- Liberty-Curtin Elementary and Bucktail High School -- that do not have air conditioning. The district is looking at temporary air conditioning for those buildings, she said.
"We believe it's really difficult for folks to wear masks in high temperature and humid environments. We want to make sure that we get the best environment possible," Martin said.
The board will get an in-depth look at the plan during the work session, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 9.