Ligonier Valley classrooms to see part-time return of remaining students

All Ligonier Valley students in grades 7-12 will be able to return to a hybrid instructional model, beginning Tuesday.

District officials decided to make the move — to a weekly mix of in-classroom and at-home lessons — following two consecutive weeks when covid-19 transmission rates in Westmoreland County were at state-defined moderate levels, down from previous substantial levels.

Many students at Ligonier Valley’s middle school and high school have been learning at home full-time, with online instruction, because of recent heightened covid-19 pandemic concerns.

But, under state guidance, “targeted populations” in grades 7-12, totaling 335 students, were allowed to return to classrooms part-time beginning Feb. 1. According to Superintendent Christine Oldham, those populations included students served through the district’s special education program, those who spend part of the school day at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, those who were failing two or more classes at the end of this year’s first semester and those who experienced internet connectivity issues.

At the beginning of February, high school seniors were allowed to recapture the most time in the classroom, four days per week — as were sixth-graders at the middle school and the youngest elementary students, through first grade.

“We considered the foundational needs of our primary learners, as well as the critical nature of the transitional year into middle school,” Oldham said.

Wednesday has remained a day for remote instruction for all students, so deep cleaning can be completed at district schools.

Ligonier Valley students in grades K-6 have been back in classrooms part-time since late January.