City schools announce plan for commencement in June

The Pittsburgh Public Schools said it plans to hold in-person commencement ceremonies this June for its graduating seniors.

Details are still being worked out, but the events will be held at Petersen Events Center in Oakland, district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said Friday afternoon during a virtual news conference.

The district canceled commencement ceremonies in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, each high school had a drive-thru celebration.

Ms. Pugh said the district is determining the feasibility of other in-person events as its schools are set to reopen to select students next month for the first time since March 2020.

The timeline for when all children will be able to return to their schools is not complete, according to Ms. Pugh, but Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said last week that he expected all city students to be able to attend classes in person this academic year.

Most students will be in-person two days per week, although some may attend classes four days a week.

The first group of students will return on April 6 and include those the district found as having the greatest need based on grades and attendance from the first semester, social-emotional concerns, disabilities, and language barriers.

Another group of students will go back on April 26.

By the end of April, Ms. Pugh said, the district expects to have a little more than 10,000 students back in the classroom.

In preparation

reopening, the district said its maintenance team has focused on ensuring proper ventilation in all school buildings.

Michael McNamara, the district’s interim chief operations officer, said operations staff has reviewed ventilation equipment and reported any items that needed repairs or replacement. The more than 500 work orders resulting from the ventilation review were given priority by the district’s maintenance department.

Operations staff will perform flushing of supply and exhaust air systems for a minimum of two hours before and after occupancy.

“All of our school buildings have mechanical ventilation systems designed to provide outdoor air ventilation during occupancy, and all rooms designed for occupancy are mechanically ventilated,” Mr. McNamara said.

The district recently purchased 220 air purifiers for certain rooms, and it will allow teachers to bring in their own air purifiers to their classrooms.

Teachers will be encouraged to open windows in classrooms for extra air flow, though Mr. McNamara said the ventilation systems will be enough to keep the air clean in instances where that is not possible.

“Opening windows can provide additional fresh air —and is recommended where and when possible — but none of our buildings rely on opening windows for proper ventilation,” he said.