At the Whitehall-Coplay School Board special education/student activities committee meeting Oct. 8, board members and administrators discussed the school model for the second quarter of the academic year before the anticipated board vote at the Oct. 12 WCSB meeting.

In August, parents were asked to choose between a virtual, learn-from-home or hybrid format for their children after the board voted against a traditional return to school.

Whitehall-Coplay School District Superintendent Dr. Lorie Hackett recommended the district continue to follow the hybrid model in the second quarter, citing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending students remain 6 feet apart while wearing masks. Hackett said Lehigh County remains in the moderate category as far as the case rate, which means online, blended or density-reduced models are advised.

Hackett discussed the difference between the school’s hybrid model in effect and a modified traditional approach, which would have students attending four days a week while continuing to learn online Wednesdays.

According to Hackett, students at all schools are currently able to maintain a distance of 6 feet with the hybrid model. In the modified traditional approach, elementary and Whitehall-Coplay Middle School students would only be able to stay a maximum of 3 to 4 feet from one another and would no longer have the opportunity for mask breaks, as children would not have enough space between one another to remove them.

Hackett said some students may have to switch teachers in order to “accommodate for reteaming” at WCMS, as well as students changing to the online models.

Whitehall High School classrooms would likely be at 57-percent capacity with 6 feet between students.

The elementary schools would have to add an extra lunch period in addition to using classrooms, and 6 feet between students may not be possible during lunch, depending on factors such as schedule changes and supervision issues.

The hybrid model allows one to two students per bus seat, as opposed to two in a seat at WHS and WCMS and three to a seat on some of the elementary school buses with the modified approach.

If WHS moves to the modified traditional approach, 125 Lehigh Career and Technical Institute students would need to be added to both the morning and afternoon sessions.

In the current hybrid approach, teachers are finding it difficult to manage both in-person and online learning. With a traditional model, elementary and WCMS teachers would be responsible for only in-person students, in addition to any students forced to quarantine and learn online. There would be designated teachers to instruct online learners. WHS teachers would instruct larger classes while continuing to teach online learners as well.

Gockley, Steckel and Zephyr elementary schools, WCMS and WHS principals weighed in on the discussion.

Gockley Principal Denise Saylor said more frequent school closures would make planning and teaching more difficult. Though she had calls from parents in the beginning requesting help, such as logging students into their classes, both parents and children have become more comfortable over the past month.

Currently, both kindergarten and first-grade students receive two to three hours of live instruction with morning and afternoon sessions and activities using the Seesaw app in between.

Steckel Elementary Principal Cora Snyder said things have been “running smoothly,” and staff members are torn over which model is best. Some staff members have concerns about safety and the challenges of holding classes such as gym and music with a modified traditional model.

WCSB member George Makhoul said the board does not have enough feedback from parents to assist with making a decision when they vote Oct. 12 on the second-quarter model. He questioned whether administration and staff are prepared to transition to the traditional model if the approach was to be approved and also reported data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health states, though the case rate is going up, the hospitalization rate remains low.

Hackett said administration and staff would need a two-week period of time to make the switch and a traditional return could be voted on at any time if CDC and DOH guidance were to change.

Zephyr Principal Terri Miller said the teachers want to see the children back in class and are concerned about them from an academic standpoint.

“The teachers are pretty vocal about what they feel. They do know that the numbers are going up,” Miller said. “But academically, when you hit fourth and fifth grade, the teachers are more focused on that. They want the kids back.”

WCMS Principal Angela Friebolin recommended continuing with the hybrid due to concerns about safety, as well as the uncertainty of numbers of students who would opt for the four-day model versus the number who would move to virtual or learn-from-home options if the hybrid model would be taken away. She added this has been the most challenging learning environment the teachers have ever experienced.

WHS Principal Nathan Davidson also recommended the hybrid model and said WHS teachers are evenly split as to whether safety or academics should be the top priority when selecting a model. He said some parents have asked if their students can attend school four days per week if they sign a waiver and other parents said the hybrid model is working.

According to Davidson, some parents have moved their children from hybrid to virtual after cases were reported at WHS and the school was closed for five days last month.

WHS Assistant Principal Alicia Knauff said they are receiving five to 10 requests per week to switch from hybrid to virtual. Half of the requests are due to safety concerns, and half are due to a need for consistency.

Davidson said from a safety standpoint, WHS staff feels the hybrid model is best, but from an academic perspective, in-school instruction is preferred.

“We want our kids in front of us. We’re able to make connections, we’re able to build relationships, and we’re able to help them through some of the troubleshooting that just doesn’t occur in the home,” Davidson said.

Makhoul expressed concerns about depression and isolation among students. Davidson acknowledged these issues but said four days a week in school won’t improve things.

“The reality of school is that we are only focusing on our academics right now,” Davidson said. “All the frills, the fun stuff, the after-school activities, the games - all of those things are gone right now, and that does leave us with a hole.”

Director of Special Education Brooke Clary said the DOH came up with guidelines for ensuring special education students are receiving the instruction and resources they need, and she and special education staff are using a data-driven approach to determine which students are most at risk.

Clary hopes to bring those students back to school in person four days a week. According to her, bringing all special education students back four days a week could put classrooms at 20 students.

Fonzone questioned the legality of only allowing some special education students back four days a week, and Makhoul said he has heard talk from three parents with special education students about possible lawsuits against WCSD. Makhoul warned these parents have been in touch with lawyers since school shut down last spring.

Also at the meeting, Hackett welcomed the district’s new human resources manager, Stephanie McFadden.