Norwin seniors to return to school 4 days a week
Norwin’s seniors can go back to school four days a week, beginning Feb. 22, as long as the covid transmission rates remain in the moderate level, the district said.
Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the school board that surveys were distributed to parents of seniors this week to determine how many students intend to return to school four days a week, with one day of week remaining virtual. By learning how many students want to go from two days a week of in-person instruction to four days, the district will be able to prepare the classrooms and building.
With requirements for social distancing in place, Taylor said they cannot have all the high school students in the building four days a week. There are about 435 seniors, including about 96 seniors receiving instruction through the Norwin Online Academy and some may want to return to school, the superintendent said.
Students in grades nine through 11 will remain on the hybrid schedule, as well as those in grade 5 through 8 at Hillcrest Intermediate School and the middle school, Taylor said. Those students would return to classes four days a week possibly sometime in March, Taylor said.
In the meantime, Taylor said the administration will send surveys this week to determine how many of those students want to move from hybrid mode to four days of in-school instruction.
If the Norwin community and Westmoreland County remains in the moderate level for the transmission rate of covid, plans to bring students back to class could be accelerated. The ultimate goal, he said, is to have students in class full time, he said.
Director Tony Corsa complained that the administration had not sent surveys to the parents of students in grades 5 through 11, and had not communicated with parents of those students since October.
“It’s time. Whatever we have to do, do it,” Corsa said.
Director Brian Carlton, board president, said the district needs to see how many students in those grades want to return to school four days a week.
Elementary school students in kindergarten to fourth grade started four days of in-class instruction on Monday.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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