Franklin Regional begins making plans for return to normalcy in 2021-2022 school year

Franklin Regional School Board members were briefed Monday night on what Superintendent Gennaro Piraino hopes will be a return to some semblance of normalcy, after more than a full school year completed under covid-related restrictions.

Piraino said the strategy will be to keep options open for district families.

“Right now, our plan is to have any and all students who want to return five days a week to be able to do that,” Piraino said, “as well as continue to offer online classes for students and families who prefer that option.”

As for social distancing, Piraino said the district will not be providing that unless it returns as a mandate or guideline from either the state’s Department of Education or Health Department.

“The masking order goes away once 70% of folks are vaccinated, and we’ll follow the guidance as it relates to that,” Piraino said. “As we’ve experienced all year, the guidance and feedback from the education and health departments has changed frequently.”

Franklin Regional facilities will also reopen to “outside groups that support our athletic programs, like (Franklin Regional Athletic Association) and (Franklin Area Swim Team),” Piraino said. “When there are no teams or groups using Panther Stadium, we will open it back up for people to walk. Obviously, we’ll monitor how those facilities are being used very closely.”

Graduation tickets: 4 per grad

The district has not set a firm date for when it will begin opening things back up, but plans for this year’s graduation ceremony already look much different than last year. The district will do away with last year’s staggered ceremonies, offering four tickets per graduate.

School board member Bill Yant asked if that number could be increased to six.

“It doesn’t seem as though an extra 500 or 600 people is going to make a big difference,” Yant said. Panther Stadium’s seating capacity is 2,400.

Piraino said the ticket limit was so that attendees who still want or need to observe social distancing can do so.

“We want to give folks the opportunity to be able to do that,” Piraino said.

But as the 2021-2022 school year rolls around, Piraino was clear on his goal.

“We want as normal an educational environment as possible,” he said.