Norwin parents to protest hybrid school reopening plan
A group of Norwin parents who want their children in school all week rather than two days plan to protest Monday.
“We want to get the kids back to school five days a week. It’s like they (district administration) quit on us,” said Leslie Savage of Irwin, whose son is entering his senior year.
Savage and Alex Detschelt of North Huntingdon, organizers of the protest regarding the hybrid education plan, want the district to reconsider how it will reopen schools on Aug. 31. More than 600 people have signed an online petition supporting their position.
The group plans to demonstrate outside the district’s administration building at during the virtual school board meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
“We’re expecting a large turnout,” Detschelt said.
The plan the school board approved on July 30, which was developed this summer, gives students the option of returning to school two days a week with online learning on the remaining three days. Students whose last name begins with the letter A-K will go to class on Mondays and Tuesdays and the remaining students will go to school Thursdays and Fridays. All students will receive online learning on Wednesdays.
There also is an option for full-time virtual learning through Norwin’s online academy.
The hybrid model enables the district to provide some in-person instruction while adhering to state mandates for face coverings and social distancing, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said. That model also affords students the flexibility to not have to wear a face covering all day because the district will provide 6 feet of social distancing and having only half of the student body in the building at a time provides an extra layer of protection, he said.
Schools will reopen five days a week “if the mask and social distancing mandate is lifted and Westmoreland County is in the green phase,” Taylor said.
The administration is developing guidelines for when it can recommend full-time, in-person instruction as quickly and safely as possible — a process that must not be rushed, said Brian Carlton, school board president who also is a Penn-Trafford teacher. The evolving plans will be modified if additional guidance comes from the state regarding reopening schools, he said.
Details of how schools can be fully reopened will be released once the board has reviewed the plan, Carlton said.
Savage questioned how the administration could have determined not to fully reopen schools without having determined when schools can reopen during the covid-19 pandemic.
The group’s compromise position is to send the students back to school wearing masks all the time, if social distancing is not possible, said Detschelt, who has two children attending Norwin schools.
“If the district cannot meet us there, then they are not looking at all the options,” Detschelt said.
He questioned why Norwin would offer only two days of in-school instruction when neighboring Penn-Trafford and Greater Latrobe are giving students the option of returning to school five days a week, unless mandated to reduce capacity.
Hempfield Area will have elementary students attend a full week, while students in grades 6-12 will attend on alternating days. Franklin Regional is offering students in kindergarten through eighth grade the opportunity for in-class instruction five days a week. Its high school students, however, will go to school two days a week with three days of virtual learning.
“Our numbers (of covid-19) are low,” Savage said.
The county, which has a population of about 350,600, has reported fewer than 1,500 covid-19 cases and 50 deaths, according to figures from the state Department of Health.
Norwin could create appropriate social distancing by reconfiguring classrooms and using the cafeteria, gymnasium and mobile trailers, but “it is not willing to do that,” Detschelt said.
Kevin Chitester, president of the Norwin Education Association, which represents the teachers, could not be reached for comment. He previously said the biggest concern is to protect the safety and health of the students and staff while delivering the same high quality education typically offered at Norwin schools.
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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