Mt. Pleasant set to increase weekly in-person instruction from 2 days to 4
Mt. Pleasant Area students next month will be able to double the number of days they receive in-person instruction from district teachers.
The school board voted at a special Wednesday meeting to modify the district’s hybrid instructional model, allowing students to report to classrooms four days per week instead of just two.
Provided there are no changes in health guidelines or concerns with the rate of coronavirus cases in the community, the change would take place on Nov. 9, the beginning of the school year’s second nine-week grading period.
“I want the kids back in school,” said board member Julie Alesantrino, who suggested the change. She indicated it will be a “good start” toward the ideal of returning to full-time classroom instruction.
Under the existing hybrid model, one group of students attends classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and another group attends on Thursdays and Fridays, with all students receiving online instruction at home on Wednesdays.
Beginning Nov. 9, online lessons would continue on Wednesdays, providing staff an opportunity to thoroughly clean school buildings, with all students reporting to classrooms on the remaining four days.
“It still kind of keeps us in that hybrid model,” Alesantrino said.
Any student would be able to opt for full-time online learning.
District administrators suggested Nov. 9 as a good time for making any changes to the instructional model.
That will allow several weeks for surveying families, to determine how many students will opt for increased in-person attendance and to make any needed adjustments to class schedules and arrival and dismissal procedures.
School officials acknowledged it may not be possible to maintain a distance of 6 feet between all students in some classrooms under the four-day-per-week model. In such classes, students won’t be able to temporarily remove required masks.
Administrators said students so far have been conscientious about wearing masks.
But they noted parents and faculty have expressed concerns about students struggling academically and socially with remote learning at home.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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