School closure extended through current year
An indefinite closure of schools across Pennsylvania has become definite.
State Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera announced Thursday morning, April 9, that schools will remain shuttered for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year due to the continued spread of COVID-19. Students have been barred from their classrooms since March 13.
Opting to close schools through June was based on a number of factors, Rivera said, including the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the number of deaths, the geographic impact of the pandemic and the amount of time that would be needed to effectively bring students back into the classroom.
“There’s no way schools would be prepared to accept students back this year,” Rivera said.
Thursday’s decision was made by Gov. Tom Wolf after consulting with Rivera and Dr. Rachel Levine, state secretary of health, Rivera said. In a statement about the decision, the governor said making the choice to end in-person classes is all about safety.
“We must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus during this national crisis,” Wolf said. “This was not an easy decision, but closing schools until the end of the academic year is in the best interest of our students, school employees and families.”
Rivera, speaking during a teleconference with media from across the state, defended the way the closure was rolled out.
He said that unlike a handful of other states that closed schools for the year weeks ago, Pennsylvania first shut them for only two weeks. That mandate was extended for another two weeks, before being changed to an indefinite closure.
“It was really because of the data,” Rivera said of the process.
The secretary said state officials, like those in many other states, remained hopeful at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak that it could be mitigated.
But as the pandemic grew and schools got later into their academic calendars, Rivera said, the state found itself in a place where it had to make the decision to shutter schools.
Rivera added that the state has provided support and resources to school districts during the crisis.
“We really tackled this through the educator lens,” he said.
Those supports and resources are needed to follow the Department of Education’s guidance that schools should be providing students with planned instruction, either online or through “paper and pencil” lessons sent to their homes.
“This is absolutely not a day off for students,” Rivera said.
Distance learning plans
Rivera said school districts are required to submit “continuity of education” plans to the state and post them online, showing how they plan to implement distance learning in the future. So far, a little over 300 districts have submitted such plans.
“We’re telling schools they must find a way to provide instruction,” Rivera said. “A few months of review and enrichment is not enough. My expectation it that they provide ongoing instruction.”
For some districts, particularly rural or urban districts where internet service might not be available in students’ homes, that may pose a challenge.
Rivera said the state has made grants available for districts to upgrade technology, and is working on a variety of plans to improve access to internet service in areas where it is lacking.
The state is also offering districts help by providing free online education platforms for them to use, and by partnering with PBS to provide grade-specific television lessons.
“We have a moral responsibility to provide education support and to dedicate resources to the students we serve every day,” Rivera said.
Doing that, Rivera said, means school employees are likely busier than usual these days.
“Schools are still open, although they don’t look the same way they looked a month or two ago,” he said, saying school employees are creating ways to provide instruction, feeding kids and providing mental health supports. “They are still functioning and serving communities. I want to chip away at the misnomer that teachers are sitting at home and doing nothing.”
What implementing distance learning will mean for students will vary from district to district, Rivera said.
Each of the state’s 500 school districts will have to figure out how they want to handle grading student work and promoting students to the next grade. The same goes for things like tracking attendance and holding graduation ceremonies.
Rivera did assure students expecting to graduate from high school this spring that the pandemic will not derail that, even if they can’t walk across a stage and grasp a diploma.
“Graduating seniors should not fear being held back by this pandemic, specifically,” he said.
Moving past this school year, Rivera said he’s unsure what long-term impacts the coronavirus shutdown will have on schools. He said local superintendents are working on figuring out what bringing back students in the fall will look like.
Part of the impact, Rivera said, may be positive. Because of the need to amp up technology and online resources, school districts will have more tools.
“This is going to change the educational landscape for Pennsylvania for years to come,” he said.
Educators’ reactions
Thursday’s announcement was one most educators saw coming.
“We are not shocked,” said Dr. Cindy Mierzejewski, Schuylkill Valley School District superintendent. “We have been planning for it, but were cautiously hopeful that we might be able to get some end-of-year time for closure. But safety comes first.”
Schuylkill Valley sent a letter to parents Thursday saying the district will continue its continuity of education plan it has been operating under since April 1.
“Teachers will continue to provide instruction in grades kindergarten through 12th as they have been for the past two weeks,” the letter reads. “Specifics about the courses, work, and classes will continue to come from the teachers and building administrators.”
The letter also says the district is looking into alternative ways to hold things like graduation, prom and the school’s spring musical.
Dr. Steve Gerhard, Gov. Mifflin School District superintendent, also sent a message to families Thursday.
“Today, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an order that will keep Pennsylvania schools closed through the remainder of our academic year,” it reads. “While this news is sad, this was not unexpected. As we have developed our online planned learning and strategies during this shutdown, we have done so recognizing that the return to school this school year was not promised and we are prepared to continue with our current online activities and procedures.”
Gerhard said the district’s school board will finalize a new district calendar in May that includes a new last day of school. The district is currently planning on moving forward with its normal summer programming, although that will be determined by future state decisions on school closures and restrictions.
The message says the district is working on plans to hold a graduation ceremony.
“In closing, this is not the news we had hoped for, but it is news we are prepared for,” Gerhard wrote.
Andrew Potteiger, Brandywine Heights School District superintendent, said he supports the decision to extend the school shutdown.
“The decision to close schools for the remainder of the year is definitely the safest decision for all students and educators,” he said, adding that his district is trying to figure out how handle end-of-year events. “We are closely evaluating our end of year plans, specially with graduation, and will develop a plan to honor and recognize the accomplishments of our senior students.”
Potteiger said he’s confident school districts can handle the shift to distance learning.
“Districts locally and across the state have developed cohesive plans of instruction to create purposeful learning opportunities for our students,” he said. “The plan at Brandywine Heights to create online educational opportunities has been in place for two weeks and being implemented successfully. We will be able to seamlessly continue this plan for the remainder of the school year and ensure we are educating our students, but also finding that balance to not overwhelm or add undue stress to students or families.”
Dr. Richard H. Faidley, Wilson School District superintendent, said he also is in favor of the governor’s decision and his district is prepared for it.
“The Wilson School District respects the governor’s decision to close schools for the remainder of the academic year, knowing that the top priority right now is the health and safety of our students, staff and community,” he said. “As a district, our students and staff have begun distance learning. We are proud of their efforts and will continue working in our e-learning environment through the conclusion of the academic year.”
Faidley said Wilson officials are already having conversations about how the shutdown will impact graduation.
“While no specific alternate arrangements for graduation have been finalized, we are working on possible ideas to provide these students with the recognition they deserve.,” he said.
The state’s 29 intermediate units have been at the forefront of the move to distance learning. They’re providing technical and other support, as well as serving as a connecting point for local districts to discuss plans and concerns.
Dr. Jill Hackman, executive director of the Berks County Intermediate Unit, said the governor’s decision Thursday will allow districts to move forward full force with the distance learning plans.
“Based on the Governor’s announcement and Secretary Rivera’s order to keep schools closed for the remainder of the school year, school officials and educators across the county now have clarity regarding the timeline for offering continuity of education, which includes enrichment and review and planned instruction,” she said.
Hackman said the BCIU is continuing to operate and provide education services from remote environments. Among those services is devising and implementing plans for early intervention, Head Start, and Pre-K Counts programs.
“These plans will be offered in high-tech, low-tech, and/or no-tech formats in partnership with the students and families we serve,” Hackman said.
Hackman said that now that all students will be learning from home, family support has become increasingly vital.
“Now, more than ever, we look to our families for continued support at home as we navigate providing educational opportunities in alternate ways,” she said. “While this is an unsettling time, I am confident that by working together during this crisis we will emerge stronger.”
The Pennsylvania School Board Association released a statement Thursday morning applauding the decision to close schools for the rest of the school year.
“This will allow school leaders and educators to make more concrete plans knowing that students will not return to the facilities inperson until the start of the 2020-21 school year in the fall,” it reads. “While the decision is a tough one that raises certain other challenges, the knowing and certainty allows for more definitive next-steps planning.”