What will school look like this fall? State College plans options for in-person, virtual learning
Anticipating a fall reopening, the State College Area School District plans to offer families a choice between in-person or remote instruction.
As required by the state Department of Education, SCASD developed a preliminary health and safety plan to create a safe learning environment for students, faculty and staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead to the 2020-21 school year, the district has created three committees tasked with developing a plan for health and safety, education and operations for in-school instruction — assuming Centre County stays in the “green phase” of reopening.
Taking guidance from health professionals, including SCASD nurses, the district health and safety plan may be reviewed online and commented on through Tuesday. The final plan will be sent to the board of directors for approval July 6.
All students will be given the opportunity to attend school for in-person instruction or attend the virtual academy, according to a letter sent Friday to district families. For those physically attending school, Superintendent Bob O’Donnell wrote that SCASD will maintain social distancing — at least a six-foot distance — and require masks to be worn by students, staff and faculty.
“Both measures are critical to the effectiveness of our (contact) tracing,” O’Donnell said. “Please know we will be developing specific plans for each student with complex special needs at the school level on a case-by-case basis.”
According to the preliminary plan, elementary students will receive daily, full-day, in-school learning. Secondary students will be provided full-day learning, but in-school instruction will occur every other day, in addition to asynchronous experiences on off days.
If a student requires specific learning needs, the district will provide daily instruction, according to O’Donnell.
For those who choose not to attend in-person classes, the district has expanded its virtual academy, an online education platform. The program has been optional for secondary students for several years, but due to the pandemic, SCASD has refined its digital program to include K-12 graders and its own faculty.
“For this fall, we are expanding this program to include K-5 students who would like to learn in a full-time cyber format. The program will be aligned with our in-class curriculum, allowing students to make a smooth transition back into school when appropriate,” O’Donnell said. “A key aspect of our cyber experience is that we will include all of our district’s many student services such as counseling, school psychologists, and social workers.”
If Centre County moves back to the “yellow phase” of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, the district will shut down schools, moving immediately into remote instruction for all students, O’Donnell wrote.
Director of Communications Chris Rosenblum said the educational model committee is still working out the details of what elementary and secondary virtual and in-person instruction will look like. But families will receive a video update this week to answer questions the district has already received about its reopening plan.
Further details about fall instruction will be discussed during Monday night’s board meeting. Once the plan is refined, families will be asked to choose between in-school or virtual instruction prior to the start of the academic year.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 2:05 PM.
