Western Pa. school district leaders react to Gov. Tom Wolf's closure extension

Public schools will be closed for two more weeks, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced Monday, extending Gov. Tom Wolf’s mandated closure to at least April 6.

“The number of positive cases increases daily, and we’re seeing it spread to more counties,” Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said in a statement. “We must adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Extending the closure will help every community in its efforts to mitigate the spread.”

In a news release, Rivera said districts can work with intermediate units to establish “continuity of education plans” during the added closure to develop instructional plans.

Districts who do not reach the minimum 180-days required by the education department will not be penalized. School officials are strongly encouraged to extend the school year or use snow and Act 80 to restructure their calender, state Department of Education officials said. Those who do fall short are required to fill out a form reporting the number of days missed.

School districts across the state have been feeling repercussions from the coronavirus since Marcy 13 when Wolf announced schools would close for 10 school days. Much to the discontent of school officials, his announcement came on a Friday afternoon, after they had spent much of the day developing their own plans of action.

But this time, district leaders were hardly caught off guard.

“It seems as though this is sort of what we’ve committed to,” said Tim Scott, superintendent of Kiski Area School District. “It’s probably good that we stick with it.”

Schools react

Scott said Kiski Area is well on its way to developing a distance-learning plan for students. All six schools in the district met in a Google staff meeting Monday, where teachers and administrators created structured plans for instruction. Remote instruction for Kiski Area students is set to begin next week.

Unlike the first time around, officials at Greensburg Salem were ready for Wolf’s announcement, Superintendent Gary Peiffer said.

“We support the measures that are being implemented as a safeguard to our community’s health and welfare as a means to slow down the spread of the coronavirus,” Peiffer said. “We hope that by taking these actions now, we can delay or avoid a severe health crisis that would overwhelm our neighborhoods and health care systems.”

During the first week, Greensburg Salem schools were cleaned and sanitized and a meal distribution program was established.

Tammy Wolicki, superintendent of Hempfield Area School District, said she was not surprised by the governor’s announcement, noting that district officials have been preparing for the possibility of a longer delay.

Hempfield teachers will participate in virtual learning throughout the week in preparation for online teaching to start Monday. Greensburg Salem teachers will participate in training focused on Microsoft Education Suites. Peiffer hopes to start online teaching the week of April 6.

Tiffany Nix, superintendent of Leechburg Area School District, also said the extension came as no surprise. Her district began remote instruction last week through education packets and enough assignments were prepared for 20 days of closure. If students return April 9 — as she is now planning — they will have used 17.

Nix said she hopes that, because Leechburg has chosen to continue instruction during the closure, they will be able to adjourn in early June, as scheduled. But that is up in the air.

“We’re going to do what we’re told to do and just follow the governor’s orders. We’re just doing our best,” Nix said. “I think we all just want this in the past.”

Going online

Several districts are moving online in an attempt to keep students learning while no longer attending physical classes. If Free Appropriate Public Education for students with disabilities and English as a Second Language requirements are met, schools can count the time toward the 180-day minimum.

At Kiski Area, the closure’s effect on the district’s required instruction days remains unclear. Scott is trying to focus on providing education in any capacity possible.

“You can sort of allow yourself to be inhibited because of a lack of information, or you can set all that stuff aside and focus on the moral imperative of educating kids in a free society,” he said.

Deer Lakes School District is moving forward with instruction, beginning assignments Wednesday. The extended closure will not change that.

“We are just following the experts’ lead on this matter and trying to do whatever we can to educate our students while also helping to keep them and their loved ones healthy and safe,” said Jim Cromie, a district spokesman.

But turning to virtual learning comes with its own set of issues.

At Derry Area School District, officials are working through equity issues before they are able to start virtual learning, said Superintendent Eric Curry, adding that he wanted to ensure that all students have “access to appropriate educational resources.”

At Greensburg Salem, officials are trying to identify students who might not have access to devices, Peiffer said.

“We can’t guarantee everyone is able to log on and complete work,” he said. “We have to think how we can either help people increase their technological access or what other forms of Continuity of Education can be provided to our families who may lack technological resources. Not providing any form of instruction or services during an extended closure is not an option for us.”

In Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Public Schools will not reopen until April 14 at the earliest due to when their spring break falls, according to spokesperson Ebony Pugh.

“We have been actively working to develop a continuity of education plan for all of our students as we prepare for the potential longtime closure of schools,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said in a news release, noting that officials released a survey Tuesday to better understand technology needs of students and staff.

The state said it will give administrators, teachers and other staff two days to prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations when it’s decided that schools can reopen — presumably, the week of April 6. Students would return on the third day of that week.

The announcement comes in conjunction to Wolf issuing a stay-at-home directive for seven counties, including Allegheny County. Through the directive, residents are asked to stay inside unless “someone’s life depends on your leaving.”