Pennsylvania schools planning to reopen in fall, says education secretary

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is planning to allow schools to return to the classroom in the fall but continues to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

“It is fully our intent that we’re going to be at a place where we are going to reopen schools for the next academic year,” Education Secretary Pedro Rivera said Monday. “I think what’s most important, more than anything else, is that we ensure the health and safety as they return to school, the staff that are serving them day in and day out, and then the community that they’re returning to after school.”

The state’s Senate Education Committee held a hearing Monday regarding plans for the continuity of education for K-12 students during the covid-19 pandemic. The goal of the hearing, many committee leaders said, was to create a dialogue to begin moving forward on bipartisan support for schools.

“We are on the verge of potentially losing the education of a whole generation of students,” said state Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester County. “We need to realize we are in a crisis, and a new dialogue and a new sense of consensus needs to happen here in Harrisburg.”

Rivera summarized guidelines his department has provided to school districts, including steps such as partnering with local intermediate units to develop guidance, resources and direct technological assistance.

Several senators told Rivera they have been fielding constant questions from parents and educators about what to expect in the fall.

State Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-West View, said she has spoken with many superintendents who are not sure what to plan for, especially when it comes to budgeting for the 2020-21 school year. Some wished for more specificity in guidelines, Williams said.

Rivera said the department is developing guidance for continued education in the summer and fall, but local districts hold ultimate authority on specific decisions.

For example, depending on health guidelines in place in the fall, some schools may need to operate under a “split schedule” in which students are separated into groups that alternate days of face-to-face and remote instruction. Each district might approach this differently, Rivera said, depending on the number of students, their ability to practice social distancing within facilities and other factors.

“I can’t imagine that we would have a structure in place to mandate any one strategy to all school districts across the commonwealth,” he said.

Rivera said the department also is looking for ways to support districts that are facing uncertainty with next year’s budget, as tax freezes and added expenses for technology and special education disrupt spending plans amid the pandemic. In April, the state distributed about $5.1 million in grants to districts for remote education supplies, but many in the area were disappointed by the low amounts they received.

Rivera said the state saw a huge “oversubscription” in applications for the grants; requests totaled more than $20 million.

He did not say whether there is a sanction or enforcement mechanism in place to evaluate schools’ current remote learning programs or to ensure they open in accordance with state guidelines. Every local education agency, including charter and cyber schools, has submitted continuity of education plans to the state, Rivera said.

“Community members can hold those schools accountable because those plans are online,” Rivera said. “As a parent, you’ll be able to compare what you’re reading online with what your students are getting at home.”