Kiski Area reports in-school instruction going smoothly despite surging pandemic

Four weeks after introducing a new instruction model that allows for four days of in-person learning each week, roughly half of Kiski Area students are taking advantage of it.

Superintendent Tim Scott said just over 1,800 district students are enrolled in the four-day model. Meanwhile, 963 students are learning fully online and 646 are attending in-person classes three days a week.

Families can change which learning model their children use at any time, Scott said.

“We are something of an outlier,” Scott said during a school board meeting Monday, noting that several other districts in Westmoreland County are operating completely remotely because of the substantial community spread of covid.

The meeting came days after Gov. Tom Wolf temporarily suspended all high school sports and extracurricular activities, which local and state health officials have said leads to greater spread of the virus than classroom instruction. The following day, Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega reiterated that the decision to close or reopen school buildings ultimately falls on school districts.

Kiski Area introduced its four-day option in mid-November, with all participants learning remotely on Wednesdays. Scott said the district is “stacking up as many days in-person” as it can, believing students benefit more from learning in person than online.

The district has recorded 60 covid cases since the beginning of the school year, according to its online case tracker. The high school, which closed for a week in November, has had the greatest share of infections. Most of the district’s cases are inactive now — only six people in the district have active infections, according to the tracker.

Ahead of the holiday break, Scott said the district will not be issuing any survey or recommendations to families relating to celebrations or travel. Instead, it is sharing existing guidance from the state Department of Health.

“We’re trying to keep everyone safe and healthy without being overly invasive,” he said.

In other business Monday, the school board approved plans to develop bid specifications for a stadium improvement project expected to cost $800,000 to $814,000. The project will include adding seating, expanding the concession stand and work on sidewalks and fencing. The district hopes to complete the work by fall of next year.

The board also approved plans to add a new temporary position, school engagement specialist, whose work will focus on reaching special needs students and improving student engagement, especially during the pandemic. The grant-funded position would connect families with resources and services, communicate outside of business hours and otherwise support students at risk of not graduating.