The Salisbury Township School District Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting Oct. 14 via Zoom, to decide which learning model to approve when the first marking period of virtual learning ends early in November.

Student representatives from the elementary and middle schools were on hand to provide their take on virtual learning so far. Renee Genovese and Collin Moll, both who attend Salisbury Elementary School and Dylan Jarjous and Meredith Kelly who attend Salisbury Middle School, provided insight from students about their perception of how school is going.

The students said they enjoyed interacting with friends and teachers via Zoom, using breakout rooms and the extra rest (and comfortable clothes) that school from home allows.

Drawbacks they cited included trouble getting additional assistance with classwork, technology troubles and missing out on recess or lunch with friends. Jarjous closed by saying, “Nothing beats being at school with friends. But this is best for now.”

Superintendent Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss then offered a presentation which included information on the current state of the pandemic in the region and the administration’s recommendation for how to continue learning in the district beyond Nov. 6, when the initial virtual learning period is set to expire.

The presentation included photos of proposed room configurations that would satisfy social distancing requirements of six feet between desks. In these proposed set ups, students would be required to keep all materials at their desks, and would allow for less work space for teachers even with the majority of extraneous furniture removed. Even with class space organized to meet health and safety standards, additional concerns exist about hallway lines, lunch space and the need for instructional assistants in classrooms.

Another consideration for the return to school in a safe manner included the mention of possible re-rostering of classes in order to fit students into the classroom configurations displayed during the presentation.

The administration’s recommendation is to remain, for the most part, virtual with expanded services for students and allow a scaffolded return to classrooms five days a week, starting with students in kindergarten and first grades.

This approach would allow the district to bring in the youngest students in for in-person learning, as well as some of the most vulnerable and diverse learners in need of additional in-person support recommended in their individualized educational plans.

With a small segment of students returning to the school building, it will allow the district to gauge the safety and effectiveness of in-person learning in the current environment. If the plan is successful, the administration recommends moving forward with allowing additional levels back into district buildings.

The current plan accommodates students in grade levels kindergarten through grade six. For now, students in seventh through 12th grade would plan to remain fully remote, as the variations in class options and multiple sections creates too many logistical issues to ensure a safe return.

With the approval of the scaffolded return recommended by the administration, the next step to implementing the plan includes requiring parents to commit to a learning model preference for their learners for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. Once a hard and fast number is achieved for students returning to in-person school five days a week, the district can begin to act on the next steps for a new learning model.

This includes refining schedules for kindergarten and first grade classes, determining needs for re-rostering and the viability of allocating a Salisbury district teacher to at least one fully remote section per grade level, nursing staff allocations, addressing staffing concerns and finally selecting a return date for students with a two-week notice for parents. It was made clear a hybrid model was not recommended due to various negative feedback received from other districts employing this method.

When introduced for board discussion, members had notable concerns, including families whose students bridge grade levels that would keep some in physical school and others at home in a virtual environment as well as the potential upheaval for students who may need to be enrolled in a different class due to re-rostering.

Despite these concerns, when the recommendation for how to proceed was put to a vote, the board voted unanimously to approve the plan.

The next regular school board meeting will take place Nov. 18 via Zoom.