West Jefferson Hills students to start first week of school online, gradually return to buildings

West Jefferson Hills School District students will start their first week of the upcoming school year online and slowly transition back into buildings as time progresses.

The first day of classes in the 2020-21 school year for the estimated 3,100 students in kindergarten through 12th grade is Monday, Aug. 24.

The district intends to move to a school week that is partly in the classroom and partly online starting Monday, Aug. 31.

And it is planning for students to return to regular full weeks of in-school instruction on Monday, Sept. 28.

The reopening plan was unanimously approved by the school board Thursday night.

Superintendent Michael Ghilani said teachers and staff will take the first week to get acclimated with the new health and safety procedures as well as their classrooms.

“Going online that first week is a good way of getting them back, get them feeling safe,” he said. “Get them used to the mitigation strategies. We have a new learning management system called Canvas. Our teachers have been in training all summer, but our kids and parents haven’t had the training yet. So we’re going to that that week as well.”

Signage will be installed at the schools promoting social distancing and proper hygiene.

The district will then transition into a hybrid model on Monday, Aug 31.

Ghilani said students would be split into two groups, one called Dignity and the other Respect. The Dignity group would attend in-person classes Mondays and Thursdays. Respect would be in the buildings Tuesdays and Fridays with both sets of students alternating Wednesdays. Students would be learning online on their off days.

Online students will be able to have live as well as recorded lessons from their teachers.

Students and staff will be required to wear face coverings in school. Students and bus drivers must wear masks on buses. Face shields will be provided by the district.

Parents are asked to do screenings and temperature checks of their children prior to sending them to school once that is an option.

High school lunches will be served as grab-and-go meals. Elementary and middle school lunches will be served as normal with students eating at the cafeteria, gymnasium and outdoors when possible.

Desks will be reconfigured to maximize student spacing and avoid face-to-face configurations. Unused desks and furniture will be removed to maximize space. Hand sanitizers will be in each classroom and bathroom.

School visitations will be restricted.

Special education students will have the option to attend classes five days a week during the hybrid model.

Ghilani said the district has enough computers to supply each student with one for hybrid and online learning.

Students can also enroll in the district’s cyber academy if they plan on having a more permanent online commitment and additional work-at-your-own-pace opportunities. Academy classes are facilitated by district staff.

District officials will then evaluate their plans along with Allegheny County coronavirus numbers on Sept. 21 in hopes of returning everyone to school full-time on Monday, Sept. 28.

Ghilani said the administration’s intentions during the start of the planning process was to have students return full time from the start, but those plans changed after speaking with health experts and receiving public input.

The district held two public forums, one July 22 and the other July 30, as well as met with Allegheny County Health Department officials and fielded multiple calls and messages from concerned families during the planning process.

“We felt it was best to come back gradually and make sure that our mitigation strategy and our plan was effective, and that we could manage everything that was going on rather than jumping in with so many unknowns,” Ghilani said. “Our intent is to bring students back full time sooner rather than later.”

School board members commended the administration for their efforts in devising the reopening plan and for putting students’ safety first.

Board President Brian Fernandes noted Ghilani led meetings with superintendents from multiple school districts who were developing their plans.

“I know that he has the most current information,” Fernandes said. “He has the most current data. He went out and specifically put together teams of experts and committees to ensure that we were getting the right information and the most valuable information. Those committees were made up of professionals from all areas. He’s really put in the time and the work to make sure this is the right plan for us at this time.

Fernandes said he hopes families recognize the district is trying to do what’s best for every student, as well as working hard to help those with individual education plans.

“Our ultimate goal is to make this as close to normal as possible for our teachers, for our kids, for our parents,” he said. “It’s important for us to try and keep things as normal as possible in this new situation we’re in.”

More information about the district’s back-to-school plans is available at wjhsd.net.