Derry Area set to resume classroom instruction next week, cites online concerns

Derry Area School District will end a month of full remote instruction Tuesday, when in-person lessons once more will be offered to elementary students five days per week.

A switch to online learning in the district started Dec. 7.

Students at the middle and high schools may opt for a hybrid schedule that provides two days of instruction at school and three days of virtual lessons at home. Families also may choose to continue full-time remote learning for their children, with a hybrid schedule available as an alternative for elementary students.

A high number of covid-19 infections in Westmoreland County prompted the move to the full-remote instructional plan last month. County covid numbers continue to be in the “substantial” range, as defined by state health officials, but Superintendent Eric Curry said Derry Area officials agree it’s time to transition back to the classroom, a view he said is shared by many families.

“We’re extremely concerned about our kids and the struggles we’re hearing from families regarding online instruction,” Curry said. He told parents in a letter this week the district is “preparing for both the middle school and high school to return to five days of (in-person) instruction soon.”

Curry said some parents have expressed frustration about a limited ability to help students with the technology involved in remote learning. Also, he said failing grades have “increased significantly” with greater student involvement in online instruction.

“We are right now at the secondary level exploring ways to do some credit and grade recovery for those kids once they get back to in-person instruction, to maybe help them boost their grades,” Curry said.

“We’re starting to notice that many kids are becoming extremely disengaged with the online process,” he said. “Having the kids learning in person, with the accountability that perhaps they’re not getting now, may help them to be a little more judicious about how they’re using their time and completing their assignments.”

As students and staff head back into classrooms, Curry said, the district will continue to follow pandemic health and safety protocols, including social distancing, frequent handwashing and wearing masks.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the county’s covid-19 infections remained at a substantial level for the week that ended Jan. 7, with 296.6 cases per 100,000 residents and a 15% positivity rate. The substantial rate of coronavirus transmission is defined as having 100 cases or more per 100,000 residents.

Curry said the district is set to introduce a revised covid-19 tracker on its website. The tracker has been used to report the cumulative number of cases among students and staff. As of Jan. 8, there were seven active cases, 26 people who were subject to a quarantine and 50 people who had recovered.

Curry explained the new version will show cases in each school building over given 14-day periods, providing a better picture of “the current state of covid-19 in the district.”