PPS holds public hearing before reopening decision

How do you comfort an upset student from 6 feet away? Or tie a shoe? Or apply a Band-Aid?

Teachers asked these questions and many others Wednesday evening at a public hearing before the Pittsburgh Public Schools board, just two days before it will decide how the district will hold classes as the 2020-21 school year begins amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district’s plan would give students the option of taking classes in person two days a week, but a proposal is on the table that would move instruction completely online for the first nine weeks of the year. A majority of those who submitted testimony to the school board said they preferred to start the school year virtually.

“You cannot comfort a 3-yearold with separation anxiety, emotional distress or temper tantrums from 6 feet apart,” said Jeannine Schreiner, a teacher at Montessori PreK-5. “You cannot give a one-onone lesson, redirect a small child or teach conflict resolution from 6 feet apart. You cannot change clothes, open milk, apply a Band-Aid, zipper a coat, tie a shoe or countless other necessary functions of teaching, nurturing and protecting a small child from 6 feet apart.”

That 6-foot separation is a component of the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ health and safety plan, which the district continues to work on less than five weeks before classes begin.

The district proposed a plan in which students would have two options for the upcoming school year:

online only, or a blended model with in-person instruction two days a week and online instruction the other three days. Social distancing, mask-wearing and other measures would be required for students and staff inside of schools, with limited exceptions.

As COVID-19 case numbers have increased significantly in Allegheny County and southwestern Pennsylvania in July, however, some have expressed concerns that the virus would spread rapidly through schools and into the community at large.

Because of those concerns, school board member Kevin Carter last week introduced a resolution that would move classes online for the first nine weeks of school. The board will vote on the resolution, as well as the overall health and safety plan, on Friday.

A majority of community members — including many, but not all, teachers — told the school board that they would not feel safe if schools reopen in the early part of the school year.

Many teachers said they had health problems that make them more susceptible to severe symptoms of COVID-19. Others said they feared spreading the virus to a vulnerable family member.

Jennifer Kyle, a teacher at Westinghouse 6-12, said she lives with and takes care of her elderly grandmother, and she is worried about exposing her to the virus.

“I implore you to vote for returning to school virtually this fall,” Ms. Kyle said. “If not, I fear many of us will be faced with a difficult choice: choosing between the lives of our loved ones, or serving our students through in-person education. I don’t want to be faced with this decision.”

While most speakers told the board they opposed reopening schools, there were some who said the district should provide the option of in-person instruction.

Rachel Roche, the parent of a CAPA 6-12 student, said she believes online instruction would lower the quality of her daughter’s education.

“CAPA has by far exceeded all expectations to me as a parent for my child and her education,” Ms. Roche said. “I do not feel as though she will be getting the proper attention to education — nor be able to focus as well as she has in a classroom setting — [in] the online classes.”

Deborah Garris, a parent of a Pittsburgh Conroy special-needs student, said having no face-to-face time with a teacher would negatively impact her son’s education.

“My son has severe learning disabilities,” Ms. Garris said. “He is nonverbal and has behavioral issues. He requires a hands-on approach to learning. He is unable to learn from a virtual platform — the virtual learning program does not work for him. He is unable to log himself onto the computer or even open the computer. He requires an adult to sit with him the entire time.”