Pittsburgh Public School leaders said Friday that the district intends to reopen for full in-person learning next school year.
“As the number of vaccinated individuals increases and covid-19 restrictions decrease, we are looking forward to the safe return of students for five days a week in-person instruction this fall,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said at a virtual news conference Friday.
Hamlet said the district is working with partners at Giant Eagle and UPMC to increase accessibility of the covid vaccines to students and their families, and administrators outlined the proposed uses of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to update classrooms for better health and safety.
PPS spent most the last school year completely remote, welcoming back students in phases for a hybrid learning model beginning in early April. The district welcomed back its final cohorts of students May 3 for the hybrid learning.
“I must stress that this is our goal, but we will always be willing to pivot for the health and safety of our students and staff, should the CDC or state guidelines require it,” Hamlet said Friday.
With the announcement, district administrators said they are still working to remedy a shortage in available bus seats, which could keep students at home if they aren’t able to find alternate transportation. Director of Pupil Transportation has said at previous briefings that the district would need to hire 350 new drivers by the fall to accommodate all students who need a ride.
Interim Chief Operations Officer Michael McNamara said Friday that the district is still working to add more transportation providers to its ranks, meeting with Port Authority and is considering changing start times for students “to maximize the efficiency of getting kids into buildings.”
The district is also still considering whether students will have the opportunity to remain in remote learning. Officials said two weeks ago that nearly 8,000 students have elected to stay in distance learning for the rest of this school year.
“That’s a question we’re trying to explore right now, if that is a possibility and how that could look,” Hamlet said. “In our mind right now, we’re expecting all kids to return or have the ability to return.”
For the time being, Hamlet said the district will not alter its protocols surrounding masking or social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday announced that vaccinated people can forego masks in most indoor situations. Hamlet said PPS and other districts are awaiting further guidance from the state Department of Education.
He does see the easing of mask requirements as potentially beneficial to teachers, though, saying face coverings have been “a necessary evil.”
Teghan Simonton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Teghan at 724-226-4680, tsimonton@triblive.com or via Twitter .
"five" - Google News
May 16, 2021 at 06:56PM
https://ift.tt/2SVDo96
Hamlet: Pittsburgh Public Schools will return for five days in person this fall - TribLIVE
"five" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YnPDf8
https://ift.tt/2SxXq6o
No comments:
Post a Comment