Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Lorie Hackett addressed families by email April 3, updating them on the district’s plans for online schooling and the required continuity of education plan, after Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s March 30 announcement schools were to remain closed indefinitely.

According to Hackett, starting April 14, the district will begin providing “monitored, graded, new learning opportunities for students K-12.”

Attendance will be counted starting April 14 as well and will be based on the completion of weekly assignments.

“For example, if the due date is Friday and students complete and turn in all work as assigned, they will be marked present for the week,” Hackett said.

The methods used to grade these assignments have not yet been fully decided upon and might vary depending on the school. Hackett is waiting to get more information from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to make further decisions on exact ways grading and attendance will work.

As it stands, teachers will post class assignments every Monday by 9 a.m., will meet with students virtually at least once a week and will likely have specific hours so parents and students have a chance to ask questions or address issues they may encounter. Any questions should be directed to students’ teachers, guidance counselors and principals.

WCSD is making every attempt to maintain confidentiality while students are using video conferencing and other virtual programs, restricting access to students in each assigned group.

Due to the nature of this type of online learning, students will be visible to members of their group, and the district cannot guarantee other household members will not view these classes.

Families are asked to follow guidelines set by the district to protect the privacy of students, such as not recording the sessions, limiting what can be seen and heard to only the student and keeping personal information of students in the session private if it is necessary for the parents to help the students attend the virtual class.

All Whitehall-Coplay Middle School students in need of Chromebooks were able to pick them up March 30, while elementary students received theirs April 3.

The district has decided, since the end of the third marking period was March 11, students have until April 14, the beginning of the fourth marking period, to turn in any work that was due before March 11.

The third marking period grades will be available via Powerschool after 10 a.m. April 20.

Students are encouraged to connect with their teachers if they have any questions or concerns.

At the start of the fourth marking period, classwork will become mandatory in order for students to be as marked present.

“These assignments will introduce new content and will no longer solely consist of remediation and enrichment activities. Attendance/participation will be monitored by teachers and administration,” Whitehall High School Principal Nathan Davidson said.

More information will become available during the week, such as times each class will be meeting, and will also be available on the WHS website. Parents will be notified of updates through emails, phone calls and social media.

Angela Friebolin, principal of WCMS, explained the attendance and assignment guidelines for middle school students in an email to parents.

“Teachers will assign an attendance score on a 0-1-2 scale, with 2 indicating exemplary work and participation and 0 indicating little to no work and participation. Please keep in mind all students are expected to attend and participate in online material on a daily basis,” she said.

According to Terri Miller, principal of Zephyr Elementary School, there will be one meeting scheduled for teachers each week to “work collaboratively with their colleagues.”

She reminded parents the students don’t have to log in to do their assignments at a certain time each day, but there will be times when they must be available to virtually connect with their teachers.

Brooke Clary, director of special education for the district, informed parents of children with IEPs (individualized education programs) that meetings will still be held through video or audio conference calls.

Case managers will be contacting parents regarding arrangements for IEP meetings.

Therapists will still be providing assistance virtually and through email, and parents are encouraged to contact IEP staff with any questions.

“Stay safe, and remember, we recognize everyone is trying the best that they can. Please remember if you or your child are struggling with an assignment or timeline, you simply need to communicate and work with the teacher,” Miller said. “We miss you, and we are here to support you.”