Franklin Regional plans 'back-to-school task force' to plan for 2020-21 year

As of early May, there’s just no telling what education in Pennsylvania could look like in the fall.

Whatever form it takes, and whatever may happen during the 2020-21 school year related to the coronavirus, Franklin Regional school officials want to be prepared.

“Right now none of us have a crystal ball,” Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said. “I don’t know what the status of Pennsylvania will be: red, yellow, green or green with significant restrictions.”

To try to plan for contingencies, Piraino proposed creating a “back-to-school task force” to map out and address varying scenarios and “to assist with the logistical planning for the 2020-21 school year,” he said.

The task force would include school board members, district administrators, members of the teachers’ union, parents, students, health care workers and district vendors.

“We know that currently, we’re online,” Piraino said. “We don’t know what the situation will be with our ability to return to school and what the parameters around that might be in late August.”

Piraino said the task force is in line with similar decisions being made at the state level.

“If we’re told we have to close again, we want to be able to move swiftly and efficiently,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re being proactive and getting out in front of things, and have plans in place regardless of what we face as a district.”

Task force committee chairs will meet Friday to outline more-detailed plans and begin selecting task force members from the community.