Allegheny Valley schools superintendent wants K-6 students back in classroom
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Allegheny Valley School District Superintendent Pat Graczyk is proposing expanded in-person learning at Acmetonia Elementary School.
“I’m asking the board for our elementary students (K-6) to come back four days a week for in-person learning starting on Oct. 26,” he said. Under Graczyk’s proposal students would be in classrooms Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with a virtual learning day on Wednesday.
The school board will vote on the proposal at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday night.
“We believe the administration has done its due diligence, and we’ll see how that vote goes Tuesday night,” said school board president Larry Pollick.
Graczyk said there have been no new positive covid-19 tests among staff or students in the district since a staff member at Acmetonia Elementary School tested positive last week.
However, Graczyk said he prefers to keep in place the hybrid model for junior and senior high school student in use since the start of the school year, adding that the pandemic has intensified some challenges that already existed.
“For example, it had been difficult getting substitute teachers prior to the pandemic and now that the pandemic is here, it is extremely difficult to get substitute teachers. There just aren’t that many available.” Graczyk said. “When you combine that with staff members that are eligible for leave, there is a shortage of teachers. And we just don’t have enough coverage to bring all the students back.”
The district was notified Oct. 9 that a staff member at Acmetonia Elementary School had tested positive for covid-19. The last date of possible exposure at the school was Oct. 6.
Graczyk said the staff member is quarantining for the next two weeks and will return to work once they are cleared.
He said the Allegheny County Health Department was notified immediately, and the district was provided with guidance and protocols.
The health department works in conjunction with the schools to help with contact tracing. If anyone was believed to have been exposed, they would have been contacted.
“At this point, we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Graczyk said. He added that more positive tests among students, teachers and staff could alter the district’s plans.