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State department of education releases new guidance for return to school

3 min read
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Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter

Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera speaks during a 2018 visit to Intermediate Unit 1 in California Borough.

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State health Secretary Rachel Levine speaks during a May news conference.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday released updated recommendations for how schools can safely open in the fall.

The updated information addresses a host of issues, including mask-wearing, lunch, recess, busing and transportation, and social distancing guidelines.

State Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said it remains up to each district to determine if classes resume in person at school, online or a combination of both.

“Our goal is to ensure a safe return to school for students, educators and staff by following best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing,” Levine said during a conference call. “We all agree that being back in school is the best outcome for children,” she said. “They gain so much in terms of education and the other services that are provided.”

Among the recommendations:

  • Masks must be worn in school and on buses by students and staff, with limited exceptions and while eating or drinking.
  • Parents should do daily symptom screenings before their children go to school.
  • Students and staff should try to keep socially distanced during classes and in hallways. Desks and other seating should be spaced 6 feet apart.
  • If possible, classes should be held in larger areas like gyms, auditoriums and outside.
  • When possible, teachers should rotate to classrooms, instead of students moving. One-way hallways should be created, and class times should be staggered.
  • Schools should consider serving individually packaged meals for breakfast and lunch, and students should not be seated directly across from one another.
  • Virtual events and extracurricular activities are encouraged.

Levine said actions the community takes now will determine how likely it is that students return to school. Public health is important, and following best practices to lower the spread of COVID-19 – wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing – reduces the chances that officials will have to face the possibility of shutting schools down.

She said the health department has “great concerns” about the increase in the number of cases occurring in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The department of education says guidance will be updated as necessary.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania State Education Association asked Wolf and Rivera to direct Pennsylvania’s public schools to begin planning for the delivery of online instruction if the continued spread of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania makes opening schools for in-person instruction unsafe for students, educators, and their families.

“It is extremely important for Pennsylvania’s public schools to plan for the distinct possibility that further increases in COVID-19 cases will make it impossible to safely reopen Pennsylvania’s schools for in-person instruction,” PSEA President Rich Askey wrote in the letter to Wolf and Rivera. “In public education, planning is paramount to providing the very best instruction for our students.”

Askey emphasized that educators and support professionals want to return to school and be with their students in person. However, he noted that it might be impossible to prevent health risks associated with COVID-19 in schools if the current increase in Pennsylvania cases continues.

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