School district creates task force to plan for reopening

The Chartiers Valley School District has created a task force to plan for the reopening of schools following the monthslong closure because of COVID-19.

Superintendent Johannah Vanatta outlined the goals of the task force at a May 19 school board meeting held via Zoom.

The main goal of the task force is to “evaluate, plan and prepare” for the reopening of the district, which like all schools in the state, has been closed since mid-March.

Ms. Vanatta said she’s optimistic about students coming back to the classroom in the fall, but she’s not received state guidance.

“I think it’s too soon,” she said. “I’m presuming we would return to a traditional setting — I’m hoping that’s what we will do.”

In her presentation, Ms. Vanatta said the task force also will reflect on the district’s closure and evaluate district procedures surrounding COVID-19 and crisis situations.

The task force will consist of Ms. Vanatta, assistant superintendent for school leadership Scott Seltzer, assistant superintendent of curriculum and assessment Misty Slavic, and other school administrators and principals.

The panel will consider topics such as safety, health, education, and fiscal and facilities measures.

The group has completed its first exercise — a survey sent to staff, parents and students asking how they thought the district responded to the crisis, what the district did well and what could be improved.

“The parents appreciated that there was a sense of calm,” Ms. Vanatta said. “This was unprecedented. This was a scary time.”

Parents who completed the survey said the district did several things well during the closure such as quickly responding to questions, having good communication, not overwhelming students academically and having a smooth transition to online learning.

Some parents surveyed, however, said it would have been beneficial for the district to continue with traditional grading and for students to have had more interaction with their teachers.

Students surveyed said the district made them feel safe, communicated well, and that teachers assigned the appropriate amount of schoolwork.

“Some students asked for more work,” and more interaction with their teachers, Ms. Vanatta said.

District teachers who completed the survey said the district did well in offering them flexibility, empathy and support, and maintained good communication with them.

Some teachers, however, said more professional development would have been helpful as well as more communication among their colleagues and increased academic expectations.

The next steps for the task force will be to establish subcommittees for specific topics, ensure cleaning and facility training is conducted per guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventio, make sure the district has proactively stocked cleaning supplies and safety products, and establish a decontamination protocol for employees.