Springfield and Haverford school districts to begin phasing in-person instruction
“The hybrid model will allow for physical distancing of students during instruction, transition, and transportation, while providing in-person learning for our students.”
— Springfield Superintendent Anthony Barber
SPRINGFIELD » The Haverford Township School District will be bringing students back into the classroom starting Oct. 5 and the Springfield School District plans to begin phasing in-person instruction using a hybrid model starting Oct. 8.
On Thursday, the Haverford Township School Board voted in favor of a blended hybrid model that will place the students in two rotating cohorts in the classroom twice a week.
“The decision was made based on evidence of stabilization in the region and the recommendations of the Chester County Health Department,” Haverford Township Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche said a message to parents Friday.
The schedule to return starts on Oct. 5 with kindergarten through third grade students; then, Oct. 12 with fourth- through eighth-graders; and closing with high school students on Oct. 19.
Students will be placed into two groups and one group will attend on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other group will be Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For example, at Haverford High School, students with last names starting with A-L will attend in-person class on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students with last names starting with M-Z will attend in-person classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All students will have virtual classes on Friday.
Middle and high school students will be dismissed for lunch and students will continue with virtual learning in the afternoon. Elementary students will have a full day of in-school learning.
“A phased approach not only allows for our younger grades the time to acclimate to their new environment but also gives our teachers, support staff, administration, health services, transportation department, food services and facilities and operations departments the ability to implement and refine these new strategies so that we can safely and effectively execute our hybrid model,” the Haverford superintendent wrote.
Reusche stressed the importance of masks and explained they are required for all students while on school property or when using school vehicles, even when 6 feet of distancing is observed. There can be maskwearing breaks throughout the day while maintaining a 6-feet distance and for a maximum of 10 minutes.
The superintendent that all students, regardless of income, will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch on any day they are in-school. Meals during virtual learning days can continue to be picked up at the high school on Wednesdays between
7:45 to 9:15 a.m. and 3:30 to
5 p.m.
“We continue to strive to make our schools a safe and welcoming environment for our staff and students,” Reusche said. “We are excited to welcome our students back to in-person learning and we appreciate the support of our community to make this a positive experience for our children.”
In Spr ing f ield, students will be divided into two groups: A and B. Each group will attend two in-person school days each week. Wednesday will be reserved for office hours.
“The hybrid model will allow for physical distancing of students during instruction, transition, and transportation, while providing in-person learning for our students,” Springfield Superintendent Anthony Barber wrote in a notification to parents. “Please note: We have seen the success of the hybrid model with our onsite YMCA and special education programs and with the neighboring non-public schools.”
Schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia system have been teaching inperson from the beginning of the school year. In midSeptember, the Chichester and Garnet Valley school districts transitioned to a hybrid in-person learning module.
And, Springfield is scheduled to do the same with students in kindergarten through fifth grade returning Oct. 8 and 9; E.T. Richardson Middle School students returning Oct. 12 and 13; and Springfield High School students returning Oct. 15 and 16.
Barber explained that the hybrid model was adjusted based on feedback from families to move the instruction model to a more in-person model.
In the hybrid, students in each school will be placed into two groups. Group A students will attend inperson learning on Mondays and Thursdays. Group B students will attend inperson learning on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Teachers will continue to use Zoom for students who are not in the classroom on each of these days.
“This hybrid model provides parents with a concrete schedule and allows teachers to engage with students and provide live instruction four days a week,” Barber said.
Like Haverford, Springfield emphasized that the success of this model and an eventual move towards full in-person instruction
“The decision was made based on evidence of stabilization in the region and the recommendations of the Chester County Health Department.”
— Haverford Township Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusch
relies on following guidelines such as wearing a mask. With the Pennsylvania Department of Education requiring all students, staff and visitors to wear a mask, Springfield School District officials said they must abide by the order.
“The health, welfare, and safety for all of us relies on our actions; we, as a community, must come together and work collectively to keep our children, our families, and our community safe,” Barber explained. “If we want to have in-person instruction, we need to adhere to our guidelines.”
Masks must be worn except when students are eating or drinking, while spaced 6 feet apart; or when executing a task that wearing the mask would be unsafe; or during a “face-covering break,” in which students must be 6 feet apart and cannot last longer than 10 minutes.
If students are unable to wear a mask because of a medical or mental condition, their parent or guardian must provide the school nurse with a letter from their family physician, nurse practitioner or healthcare provider.
“The health, safety and welfare of our students, staff, and school community are paramount as we navigate the many challenges of reopening schools during this unprecedented health crisis,” the Springfield administration stated.