By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

Parkland School District Superintendent Richard Sniscak has provided an update to reopening plans for elementary students in light of recent state health guidance.

“The purpose of this communication is to share that, after much deliberation, Parkland must make a change to our plan to provide elementary students with a five-day, face-to-face learning program when school opens Aug. 31, Sniscak said in an Aug. 13 letter.

“Instead, we will implement a hybrid plan that will mirror our secondary school hybrid plan and consist of face-to-face learning for half our students, two days each week, and eLearning the other three days.”

Secondary school instructional models, which include hybrid or online-only instruction formats, appear to be unchanged as of Aug. 18.

Elementary students will be grouped by last or household name, with last names A-L attending in-person Mondays and Tuesdays, and M-Z attending Thursdays and Fridays.

Each group will learn remotely on Wednesdays and during off days.

Students who originally committed to the five-day, face-to-face-model were automatically shifted to the hybrid learning plan, and their requested transportation mode remains intact.

The remote Parkland Online learning plan will be maintained and both programs - hybrid and online only - will be taught by Parkland teachers.

“On Aug. 10, we received new guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which indicates Lehigh County as having a moderate level of community transmission of the virus,” Sniscak wrote.

He said based on the transmission level, a blended/hybrid or fully-remote learning model was recommended for all Lehigh County schools by the state department of education.

“Additionally, after analyzing our data and our current available staff, it became clear a hybrid instructional model would strengthen our ability to implement the health and safety procedures identified in the Parkland School District Health and Safety Plan regarding class size and social distancing requirements.”

The letter also includes a comparison between the hybrid learning and Parkland Online instructional models.

Recognizing the transition to hybrid learning may require some parents to find child care services, the district also compiled lists of local day care resources for each elementary school, which are available at parklandsd.org/community/day-care-y-care-pre-schools.

In an Aug. 17 update letter, the district noted the switch to hybrid learning slightly modifies elementary school hours.

While students will be permitted to enter the schools at 8:35 a.m. as normal, dismissal will now occur at 3 p.m. to provide extra time for socially-distanced loading of buses, and to allow teachers to check in with online learners.

Bus assignments were scheduled to be posted on Home Access Center 5 p.m. Aug. 19.

If parents require any changes, they should call their child’s elementary school’s main office. School contact information is available atparklandsd.org/schools.

Furthermore, the letter notes that 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 27 will be the final device distribution day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and packets for all Parkland Online learners will also be available for pickup.

During the Aug. 18 board meeting, school board members voted to adopt the amended district health and safety plan, which reflects the change to a hybrid reopening model for all students.

Per the plan’s cover slide, Parkland Online schedules are under review, and families will be contacted with options if schedule alterations are needed.

Additionally, homeroom assignments will be posted to Home Access Center 8 a.m. Aug. 24 and schedules at 5 p.m. Aug. 28.

The plan’s changes also note for Parkland Online, elementary students will have access to all of the district’s digital content including Schoology, Go Math, Moby Max and Wonders, with rigorous, structured and easy-to-navigate coursework which provides frequent understanding checks and progress monitoring.

Course work includes numerous access options and learning support tools, and assessments will include multiple-choice examinations and frequent writing and verbal fluency checks, with feedback from staff to the extent possible.

Students in kindergarten through second grade will require a parent or guardian for assistance.

Secondary students will primarily use the Schoology platform for their Parkland Online learning, using content developed by teachers and supplemental digital content.

Additional online course content is accessible if necessary.

College Prep courses are available, as are most Advanced Placement, GHP and Honors courses.

Students will be responsible for completing all assignments and connecting with teachers during office hours.

Additionally, district learning support teachers will be designated to assist learning support students to meet Individual Education Program goals.

The revision also includes information on different subject areas - including transportation, safety protocols, face coverings, preventive measures, family and communication, and food services - carried over from the July 28 health and safety plan.

Board member Marisa Ziegler said the hybrid model strikes a balance between education and safety by reducing the number of students in classrooms and on buses.

She said while there are drawbacks and disadvantages with the format, these challenges would still be present with a full in-person program, as parents would still have to adjust in response to possible individual quarantines, targeted or districtwide shutdowns.

She referred to Aug. 13 state guidance, which states if two to four positive COVID-19 cases are found in a school within a 14-day period, with moderate community spread, a closure of five to seven days is recommended.

For five or more positive cases in 14 days, a two-week shutdown is recommended.

Ziegler also said Lehigh County has not seen a steady decrease in coronavirus cases.

“So, it is likely this would happen in our schools,” she said.

Board members concurred with Ziegler’s comments, noting that while it was a “hard compromise” to change from full in-person to hybrid education, given constantly-changing data and uncertainties around COVID-19, such flexibility is needed to gradually return to the classroom.

The full revised plan, along with hybrid elementary and secondary calendars, additional information, FAQs and district communications, is available on the Return to School portal at parklandsd.org/schools/return-to-school.