South Fayette pushes back start, end of school year because of coronavirus concerns

South Fayette School District officials have changed the proposed start and end of the upcoming school year because of covid-19 concerns.

The school board voted 6-1 Tuesday night to adjust the 2020-21 school calendar to move the first day of school from Aug. 19 to Sept. 2 and the last day from June 4 to June 11.

Vice President Alan Vezzi dissented. He did not give a reason during the meeting.

Superintendent Ken Lockette said the rise in coronavirus cases and added restrictions in Allegheny County as a result necessitate a later start.

“Our initial health and safely plan that was presented last Tuesday was developed starting in May and throughout June when cases in Allegheny County were declining and reached levels indicating low to no community spread,” Lockette said. “Over the last three weeks, as everyone is aware, this has changed dramatically. The county reported over 300 cases early last week on the day we discussed our reopening plan.”

Lockette said moving the calendar also gives the district more time to make other adjustments to the overall return-to-school plan to accommodate ever-changing safety guidelines.

Board member Jennifer Iriti said she likes the change.

“We can have a two-week period where everyone will sort of, hopefully, be back home and can make sure if any symptoms arise from travel that that will be detected before school starts,” Iriti said.

The health and safety plan is still in its draft phase. It is uncertain when a final plan will be adopted.

As it stands now, the plan provides options for in-person schooling and a hybrid model with a mix of in-person and online learning. A cyber academy option also is available for families who aren’t ready for their children to return to the classroom. Cyber academy classes are taught by district teachers.

Jeffrey Evancho, assistant to the superintendent for secondary education, said more AP course options were added to the online learning menu since last week.

The district also reduced its commitment to either in-person or continued online learning from a semester to nine weeks. That means parents who declined to send their students back to class at the start of the school year, but later feel more comfortable doing so will not have to wait as long.

“These plans are living and breathing documents,” Evancho said. “We are certainly in challenging times. Because of that it’s causing us to be responsive to these plans through the best information that we have at the time to make the most informed decisions.”

For those returning to school, parents are asked to transport students if possible. Schooling would move to online-only if Allegheny County should move back into the red or most restrictive phase of the state’s reopening plan. It currently is in the green or least restrictive phase.

More discussion about the district’s plans is expected July 28.