To answer questions and provide additional information on reopening plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, Parkland School District administrators and teachers took part in a virtual forum for parents Aug. 4.

Director of Community and Public Relations Nicole McGalla introduced both forums - elementary and secondary - which covered in-person and online student learning, safety protocols, health concerns, tech support and lunch, among other subjects.

Elementary Schools

Kelly Rosario, director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, discussed two instruction choices available to elementary students.

In the face-to-face option, students have five days of on-campus instruction with access to the full course catalog.

Students would use Schoology as the primary learning management system for engagement, collaboration and parent communication.

For the online option, students would have five days of online instruction taught by Parkland teachers, and access to most of the course catalog.

Students would also use both the Parkland Online Course Portal and Schoology for daily peer collaboration.

For the online option, Rosario said instruction would include synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Students’ weekly schedules would be posted in Schoology and reviewed by teachers.

Rosario said teachers would check in with class daily on a variety of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools, and that students would engage in collaborative digital environments and interactions with peers.

She said the online content would be highly structured and engaging for students.

Office hours with teachers will be available for further instruction.

Kernsville Elementary Principal Michael Gehringer then showed a video featuring the elementary school mascot highlighting safety protocols while waiting at a bus stop and traveling to school.

He said the procedures and video will be used by school staff to teach students “how to do these procedures in a fun and exciting way.”

Regarding health concerns and face coverings, Sheri Fredrick-Deeb, supervisor of health services and wellness, said wellness forms will be used by all staff and students daily, and are key to maintaining contact tracing information.

Forms may be filled out electronically and will be completed for students before boarding buses, and by staff before arriving in the buildings.

Fredrick-Deeb also noted parents will receive more building-specific communications and information in the near future.

The forms ask five questions about travel, currently experienced symptoms of COVID-19, symptoms which may have been experienced in the past two weeks, a temperature check, and if students are living or caring with someone experiencing COVID-19 signs and symptoms, and Fredrick-Deeb said if any are answered “yes,” students are to stay home and wait for a call from their building’s nurse.

Furthermore, she noted that buildings will have hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations in all classrooms and in hallways, and that there will be a minimal amount of sharing instructional materials, which will also be sanitized between uses.

Fredrick-Deeb said face coverings are required per Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders, adding that the orders have allowed for face shields to be considered “coverings.”

She noted that per CDC requirements, face shields should extend below the chin and curve around the face.

Mask breaks will be allowed per teachers’ discretion and will be no more than 10 minutes long while always maintaining 6 feet of social distancing.

Kratzer Elementary Principal Karen Aulisio added students in kindergarten through second grade will have one morning and two afternoon breaks, while students in third- to fifth-grade will have one morning and one afternoon break.

Fredrick-Deeb also said each building will have a designated isolation room in the event the building’s nurse feel they have a student or staff member exhibiting COVID symptoms.

Fogelsville Elementary Principal Tim Chorones said students will eat lunch in the gymnasium and follow social distancing guidelines in the lunch lines.

Chorones also said lunches will be bagged or boxed, and students will make a cashless payment.

In addition, he said face coverings will be worn during recess, and students will not be permitted to bring recess materials from home.

Regarding special education considerations Brenda Derenzo, director of student services, said students with Individualized Education Plans will still have the option for online learning.

“Whether you’re at home or on campus, we will be trying to follow your IEP or gifted IEP as best we can,” she said.

She also said online courses are based on Universal Design for Learning principles to ease accessibility, and have features including text-to-speech, speech-to-text and bookmarking.

Students requiring replacement programming and/or related services per their IEP will also continue to receive these services online and in-school, and Derenzo said students will also be assigned a district learning support teacher to work with if needed.

Tracy Smith, assistant to the superintendent for operations, discussed technology items and described how students and teachers will use Schoology and the Parkland Online portal.

She said every student will have a personal learning device on-campus or at home, and students in second-to-fifth grade will be expected to bring said devices to school each day.

Kindergartners and first graders will receive Chromebooks for home, and use iPads in school.

Smith also said technical support for students and families, as well as assistance with Internet access, is available by emailing psdtechhelp@parklandsd.org.

Superintendent Richard Sniscak then spoke to the audience, noting that the first day of school will be Aug. 31.

“I just want to give a reminder to all our parents out there as well that as we strive to minimize the overall effects of COVID-19 the safety of our school community remains our priority,” he said. “To reopen our schools requires a measured and structured approach, and our district facilities and classrooms will be safer with the participation of every person in our district - students, staff and families - following the right behaviors … It’s in everyone’s best interest to do so.”

The full elementary presentation and videos are available to view on the district’s Return to School 2020 page atp arklandsd.org/schools/return-to-school.