Franklin Regional to present survey on high school student concerns at Feb. 1 meeting

Franklin Regional administrators on Monday will present the results of a high school student survey aimed at addressing educational concerns that have arisen during the covid-19 pandemic.

Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said some students want more in-person instruction — the school’s current hybrid model has two groups attending in-person class two days per week, with Wednesday serving as a cleaning day for buildings between groups. Both synchronous and asynchronous education is delivered online when students aren’t in the building.

“But there was an overwhelming number who wanted more asynchronous time to keep up with their work,” Piraino told the school board at its Jan. 25 meeting. “The other piece is they wanted more mental health support and more opportunities for socialization.”

A Change.org petition titled “Franklin Regional students need support” also garnered more than 1,000 signatures shortly before the district announced plans to conduct the survey.

High school parent Tricia Underwood asked the district to consider alternating Wednesdays between the groups to add another day of in-person instruction.

“That extra day would mean so much to lonely students,” Underwood wrote in public comment to the board.

Piraino said that even during in-person instruction, students were calling for more opportunities to engage with their peers.

“As a dad, I can tell you that’s something I want for my high school students,” he said. “In terms of programming, we’re looking to increase those socialization opportunities.”

Piraino also acknowledged that it’s a difficult line to walk, as the district has signed an attestation form with state officials laying out the health and safety measures it must take in order to keep schools open, including maintaining six feet of distance “to the greatest extent possible,” he said.

The high school’s inability to consistently maintain the six-foot distance was the primary reason for its current hybrid model for in-person learning.

“Last week, we had a student who was (covid) positive and was in the school while positive,” Piraino said. “If we were doing three feet of distance, or four or five, we’d have had to quarantine 56 students from the high school, just for coming to school that day.”

The high school was forced to close its doors for two days last week after reaching the state-imposed limit for active covid cases, reopening after a two-day deep clean.

David Murphy of Murrysville asked school officials to find a ways to get high school students back in school full time.

“Perhaps it is time to reevaluate policies to boost morale and give the children some hope,” Murphy wrote. “We as a community cannot get comfortable with the damage being done to the next generation.”

Piraino said the district’s best course is “to put together a plan to keep us as consistently open, and consistently operational, as we can be.”

He credited the work of staff and the dedication of district families with helping that course to stay on track.

“Many of the districts that are now opening back up in some way — they’ve been closed since Thanksgiving,” Piraino said. “We hear the concerns of our students, and (high school principal Ron) Suvak will be back (Feb. 1) to help answer those concerns.”

The board’s next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 1. Meetings are livestreamed through the district’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/user/FranklinRegionalSD.

See the meeting agenda at Go.BoardDocs.com.