Erie region students, families have options
Erie County public school districts that have either adopted back-to-school plans or are in the process of refining such plans all say the same thing: those plans are subject to change.
At any point, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, M.D., can order public school districts to alter their plans in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Wolf on July 31 tweeted to dispel rumors that he would call for delaying a return to school.
“There are widespread rumors that I will soon be announcing a statewide school building closure or canceling classes this fall,” Wolf said on his Twitter feed. “I want to be clear: I am not closing school buildings or canceling classes. School governing boards and administrators will determine if school buildings reopen and if classes resume in person, remotely, or a combination of the two.”
Though plans can always change, here’s what Erie County’s 13 public school districts plan to do this school year amid the pandemic:
Erie School District: The district’s 11,000 students will attend school virtually for the entire first quarter, which runs from Sept. 8 to Nov. 4, at least.
The plan does not foresee middle and high school students returning to the classroom until the spring at the earliest, unless the pandemic subsides earlier.
If conditions allow after Nov. 4, elementary school students would have the option of taking online classes only or attending school two days a week and taking online classes the other three.
The district delayed the start of the school year from Aug. 31 to give teachers more preparation time.
Corry Area School District: Students can either attend school full time or take online courses full time. School starts Aug. 26.
Fairview School District: The district was the first to delay the start of in-person instruction. For the first month of the school year, classes will be online. After the 30 days, school board members and administrators will evaluate the status of COVID-19 cases. Once they determine it’s safe to return to school, students will be able to attend full time or enroll in the online district cyber academy full time. The school year begins Sept. 1.
Fort LeBoeuf School District: Students can attend school full time, or enroll full-time in an online district cyber academy with livestreamed and recorded classes. School begins Aug. 25.
General McLane School District: Half of students in grades K-8 would go to school in the mornings and the other half in the afternoon.
At General McLane High School, all students would work at home on Mondays.
Some students would go to school Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Wednesday and Friday afternoons. The rest would be in school on the opposite schedule.
Girard School District: Students will either be in school full time or online full time with livestream and district cyber academy options. The school year will start Sept. 8.
Kindergarten students will return to school on staggered schedules. Kindergarten students with last names beginning with the letters A-M will start school Sept. 8. Kindergarten students with last names beginning with N-Z will start school Sept. 9.
All kindergarten students will report to school beginning Sept. 10.
Harbor Creek School District: The plan is for some students to go to school Mondays and Wednesdays and work at home Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The rest would go to school Tuesdays and Thursdays and work online Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. School starts Aug. 24.
Iroquois School District: Students will choose between attending school full time or taking district cyber academy classes full time. The start of the school year has been delayed from Aug. 25 to Sept. 8.
Millcreek Township School District: Millcreek Township School District is considering an A-B plan in which students go to school and work at home on alternate schedules. The district also plans to offer classes at home via livestream, in which students attend and participate to classes as they’re happening, or attend the district’s cyber academy full time. The district will return to school Sept. 8, instead of Aug, 24 as originally planned.
North East School District: The district pushed back the start of the school year to Aug. 31. Students have three options: Go to school full time, view classes at home via a livestream or attend the district’s cyber academy full time. Students who attend Erie County Technical School will still start the school years on Aug. 25.
Northwestern School District: Students in K-5 will attend school for half days, either in the morning or the afternoon.
Students in grades 6-12 will be divided into two groups. Group A will attend school for face-to-face instruction on Tuesdays and Thursdays and take classes online on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Group B will be in school Wednesdays and Fridays and take classes online Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Students also have the option to attend school online only, which will blend both synchronous and asynchronous learning. They also have the option to attend cyber academy.
The first day of school is Aug. 25.
Union City Area School District: Students have three options: Go to school full time, view classes at home via a livestream or attend the district’s cyber academy full time. The first day of school is Aug. 25.
Wattsburg Area School District: Students will choose between attending school full time or taking district cyber academy classes full time. School will start on Sept 8, instead of Aug. 25 as originally planned.