Pa. officials: Schools can reopen in-person teaching on July 1,
“We are prioritizing real community voices and broad collaboration to find the solutions we need for our kids.”
— Angel Gober, Western Pennsylvania director of OnePA
HARRISBURG — Elementary and secondary schools inside Pennsylvania’s less restrictive reopening zones can resume teaching in person and other activities at the end of June, the state Education Department said Wednesday.
The guidance issued by the department says school boards in the green and yellow zones under the stoplight-colored reopening system must first adopt health and safety procedures that meet federal and state guidelines.
The more than 300 colleges and other postsecondary institutions can restart on Friday if they have a plan to keep students and teachers safe, the agency announced.
The reopening details follow a spring in which buildings were closed to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, sending students home for distance learning to complete the school year, and more recently virtual graduation ceremonies. Signs the pandemic is easing have prompted officials to implement gradual reopening of many functions.
“We fully expect students to return to classrooms in some capacity,” said Education Secretary Pedro Rivera in a news release, describing the guidance as helping schools establish “a framework that best meets the unique needs of their students and communities.”
The Education Department said more information will be provided in the coming weeks about how schools can safely operate.
K-12 schools that want to start teaching students in person will have to develop plans that are tailored to each school’s particular conditions. Local health agencies must be consulted, and the plan must be submitted to the state Education Department.
Schools will have to identify a pandemic coordinator, ensure those at higher risk of infection are protected, monitor for symptoms, limit large gatherings, issue hygiene guidelines and address cleaning, face masks and social distancing.
The Pittsburgh Public Schools Wednesday announced it was creating a plan to reopen city schools in partnership with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers and One PA, a group that works to assist underserved communities.
“As a caregiver to tens of thousands of children, we see the plan for reopening our schools essential to the effective reopening of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said in a statement. “Through our partnership with the PFT and One PA, I am sure we can design a plan that considers all voices and will put Pittsburgh on the map as a true innovator in these unprecedented times.”
The Pittsburgh effort to reopen — which city school officials dubbed “All in to Reopen Our Schools” — will focus on five categories and be developed by 16 subcommittees made up of a cross section of stakeholders.
The five categories are academic programming and instructional support, academic personnel and developing capacity, family support and well-being, school operations for a safe and healthy environment, and communications, outreach and community coordination.
The district said the subcommittees will use guidance from the Department of Education as well as parent feedback from a recent remote-instruction survey to build its reopening plan.
“We are prioritizing real community voices and broad collaboration to find the solutions we need for our kids,” said Angel Gober, the Western Pennsylvania director of OnePA.
The district said it expected to release a reopening plan to the public July 22.
The state’s requirements do not apply to private schools, although officials are encouraging them to follow suit.
Colleges, universities, trade schools and other postsecondary institutions in the yellow or green zones can restart in-person instruction. The Education Department said those institutions must adhere to social distancing guidelines and the federal and state standards for testing, as well as to mitigate and contain the spread of infection.
The recommendations for colleges and similar institutions include a phased return to campus, as well as earlier start and finish dates for the academic year.