Northampton Area School District is going all hybrid for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

The latest change affects kindergarten through fifth-grade students, who were originally expected to attend five-day-per-week in-person class instruction but now will join their secondary school brethren in the hybrid model, where a student attends in-person classes two days per week and has online instruction the other days.

“The state is recommending counties like Northampton County, that are in a moderate- to high-level risk of transferring COVID-19, should move to a hybrid model,” said NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik in a video to parents Aug. 12. “Because of these recommendations and because of the guidelines now in place, the district will have to move to a hybrid model in kindergarten through fifth grade.”

The NASD Board of Education originally voted to approve a hybrid system for Northampton Area Middle School and Northampton Area High School students and in-person class instruction for elementary school students Aug. 10.

The information from the state recommending the move to hybrid learning came the same day. The recommendations and community transmission levels are based on the incidence rates and percent positivity of COVID-19 in each county. Northampton County is listed in the moderate level.

Kovalchik said the administration reviewed the state’s new directives Aug. 11 and 12 and made the decision to switch the elementary students to hybrid learning as well.

In this new model, students in kindergarten through fifth grade with last names beginning with the letters A through K will attend school in person Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students with last names beginning with L through Z will attend Wednesdays and Fridays. All students will remain at home Mondays.

“In essence, this is the same schedule for students through grade 12,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik also noted parents can choose the eLearning or cyber option for their children if they choose. Parents have until Aug. 21 to decide on an instructional model.

The NASD 2020-21 school year officially begins Aug. 31. However, because Aug. 31 is a Monday, all NASD students will be at home that day. The first day for any in-person classes will be Sept. 1.

“Everything else will remain the same in regards to transportation, in regards to the health and safety requirements, in regards to lunches, in regards to the time of the day. Nothing else will change,” Kovalchik said.

He noted his understanding this change is big for parents to have to work around, and he apologized for the inconvenience.

“I want to apologize on behalf of the district, but some things are just out of our control,” he said. “I feel badly that we have to do this, but I have said all along that our No. 1 priority would be the health and safety of all of our students and our staff.”

Kovalchik emphasized the need for flexibility and teamwork with the administration and staff of the district and the families in the community now more than ever.

“Who knows what the coming weeks are going to bring? We could possibly be changing again in another two or three weeks,” he said. “We could possibly be changing to having all of our students coming in to the system face to face, or we could be going all virtual instead of being in two days a week. It is just an unknown.”

Kovalchik said an email was sent to parents and guardians of elementary school students explaining the change and detailing options for parents.

Other major changes for the 2020-21 school year include an 8 a.m. start and 1:45 p.m. dismissal for secondary students and a 9 a.m. start and 3:10-3:15 p.m. dismissal for elementary students.

Only four or five buses at a time will park along the bus loop at the middle school for student drop-off. Buses will be cleaned between elementary school and secondary school runs. A cleaning contractor has been hired to clean buses at the end of the day. Information on bus schedules was to have been emailed to parents this week.

Bagged lunches will be served, with 6-foot social distancing observed, in the cafeteria, gymnasium, lobby and classroom. No cash will be accepted to pay for lunches. Only cards will be accepted.

Face coverings are required for students on buses and in schools, as well as for NASD staff. Face-covering breaks for students are planned every 30 minutes for kindergarten through second grade and every hour for grades 3-5.

Teachers will be in district buildings working on lesson plans, state-mandated reporting concerning instruction and providing office hours for online communication with students and parents on Mondays.

More information on student schedules is to be emailed to parents the week of Aug. 24.

It is estimated 500 of the 3,300 secondary students and 400 of the 2,200 elementary students signed up for Kids eLearning and/or Northampton Cyber Academy.

Approximately 15 students are expected per class for grades 6-12, and approximately 15-17 students are expected per class for kindergarten-fifth grade.

Based on the school board’s Aug. 10 approval of temporary emergency provisions in the school code beginning with the 2020-21 school year, online instruction hours count toward the commonwealth-mandated 80 instruction days and 900 hours for secondary and elementary students.

To view Kovalchik’s video regarding the change to the elementary students’ learning model, visit youtube.com/watch?v=GAyuB1Py69A.

The superintendent’s letter for the revised elementary school academic plan can be viewed at docs.google.com/document/d/1Kg4JbmLYcWqvs2mbeis9nuPNLGLLdOWY/edit.

The district’s revised back-to-school plan summary can be found at drive.google.com/file/d/11nRHDpw167oQzyasvtYVrua90G0hwXrL/view.