Derry Area to weigh full-time return to secondary classrooms

Derry Area School Board is expected to consider a full-time return to in-class instruction for secondary students at its meeting tonight.

Superintendent Eric Curry said his proposal to the board is based on the advice of local medical professionals who also have provided guidance for neighboring Greater Latrobe School District. Greater Latrobe resumed offering in-person instruction for its secondary students on Monday .

“What we are hearing is that our families, as a majority, are asking us to get (students) back” into high school classrooms, Curry said.

He added there have not been a significant number of covid-19 cases in the Derry Area community and none so far among district students. One former employee tested positive early in the school year, but that did not have an effect on the scheduled return to instruction, according to Curry.

While noting he is likely in the minority, school board member Sean Kemmerer told the Tribune-Review he fears the district could be “setting ourselves up for a massive spike” in covid-19 cases if Derry Area returns older students to classrooms five days per week.

Kemmerer argued that not enough people have been tested for the virus. He also maintained there is not enough space for students to dine or ride buses while observing social distancing guidelines and state health directives related to the covid-19 pandemic.

Curry said the district will continue to follow all required health and safety protocols. He said it is mandatory for students to wear masks when they are unable to remain at least 6 feet apart.

“Our kids have been phenomenal in following the guidelines,” he said. “They’ve shown an amazing resiliency.”

He said alternate areas will be designated for students to eat lunch at the middle school and high school, as has been done at Grandview Elementary.

Derry Area elementary students have been reporting to classrooms five days per week this school year.

The district currently has in place a hybrid instructional program for its secondary students, as was the case at Greater Latrobe, until this week. To decrease the number of students in a school building at a given time, one group of students attends class in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and a second group attends on Thursdays and Fridays. Virtual instruction is provided on the remaining three weekdays.

All students have the option of receiving full-time virtual lessons. “It’s a family decision,” Curry said.

For those who can’t attend in person, the board meeting will be streamed live. A link is available on the district website.