Bellefonte’s return to school plan: Parental responsibility, masks for all, online options
Bellefonte Area School District plans to reopen schools this fall, but families will be responsible for ensuring children are healthy enough to attend and can opt for virtual learning.
Marion-Walker Elementary School Principal and pandemic coordinator Karen Krisch presented the district’s preliminary return to school plan during Tuesday night’s board meeting. Assuming Centre County maintains its “green” status of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan — the least restrictive phase — students and staff will be invited back for in-person instruction this fall.
In a letter addressed to district parents and guardians, Interim Superintendent Tammie Burnaford said Bellefonte’s learning plan is being developed by a task force with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state Department of Health, World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics.
If Centre County stays in the least restrictive reopening phase, all students and staff can return to school full time.
“With this return, students and staff will be highly encouraged to wear face coverings throughout the day, with the exception of classroom teaching time and when eating (or) drinking,” the plan states. “We will practice social distancing of 3 to 6 feet apart when it is possible.”
Krisch said the task force is working on a plan to reduce traffic in the hallways along with reducing the number of people in the cafeteria at one time.
Parents will be expected to take their child’s temperature prior to sending them to school — either by bus or dropping them off. Families will also be required to sign an agreement, saying they will not send their kid to school if they are sick. Staff will be required to do the same, according to the plan.
Buses, Krisch said, will be equipped with hand sanitizing stations, and masks will be “highly recommended” for bus riders.
If a student is quarantined, they will be able to continue their education through Google Classroom, as teachers will be using it to teach, so there is a “seamless transition” should the county switch to yellow or red.
If parents do not feel comfortable with their child attending school in person, they will have the option of signing their child up for BeLA, a cyber education program. BeLA classes are taught 100% online through asynchronous learning, which means students will complete work virtually.
The online academy will be open to students in grades K-12. Participation will be offered on a semester basis.
If Centre County goes back into the yellow phase, Bellefonte will switch to a staggered instruction model with half of the students coming to schools on days one, three and five. The other half will attend classes on days two, four and six.
Krisch said students will be separated according to last name, so families will be attending classes on the same day. But if family members have a different last name, the district will work with them on a case-by-case basis. During the days students are home, they will be expected to complete assignments via Google Classroom.
Families are asked to complete an online survey and select their educational and transportation choice by July 7.
As the task force refines the plan, more details will be shared in the future, and a second presentation is tentatively scheduled for the July board meeting, Krisch said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the district’s plans are preliminary and that a letter to families linked in the article was a draft.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 9:57 AM.
