Discussion about the proposed return to four days of in-person elementary instruction dominated the March 15 HR committee meeting. The school board also discussed an updated weapons policy and next year’s academic calendar.

Teachers voice concerns

During the “Courtesy of the Floor” portion of the meeting, Bethlehem Education Association (BEA) president Laura Keding spoke regarding the four-day elementary hybrid model recommendation. She said vaccination was only one of the teachers’ concerns, and asked that the BEA be involved in the discussion for return-to-school decisions, particularly regarding issues of class size, procedures for unmasked interactions in the classroom, measurement protocol for determining close contacts, and contact tracing guideline modifications. Two elementary school employees, Lisa Quigley and Melissa Ziegler, also expressed concern about the spacing in their classrooms.

Consensus on safety of three-foot distancing for elementary students

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy highlighted the “growing consensus” that three feet of physical distancing for masked elementary-aged students brings no added danger of coronavirus transmission over six feet. He also informed the board that the CDC has stated that a person who has received all the recommended doses of a coronavirus vaccine does not need to quarantine, even if they’re in close contact with a person who tests positive for the novel coronavirus.

Finally, Roy said, “The driving force here, and why I’m recommending this to the board, is that kids have not been in school on a normal basis for a year now. And there are so many kids who need the routine of school for learning and academic growth, and for their social and emotional well-being. We can’t just ride it out the rest of the year in the hybrid model.” Full details of Roy’s recommendations and supporting documentation are online (https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/beth/Board.nsf/Public).

“I cannot agree with you more on the importance of this,” board member Winston Alozie said. He noted that he has encountered primary-grade students in the community classroom hosted by his employer, the Boys Club, who cannot read. Alozie also voiced support for taking teachers’ concerns seriously.

Board President Mike Faccinetto highlighted the partnership between the district and local health authorities. “We have lifetime health experts supporting this,” Faccinetto said, noting that two of his three children are elementary students in the district, and he is willing to send them back to school four days per week because local public health authorities support its safety.

Teachers who want a coronavirus vaccine have access to it

Board member Angela Sinkler asked whether all elementary employees would be vaccinated two weeks before April 12; Chief Human Resources Officer Russ Giordano responded, noting many over-65 teachers and “Group 1A” teachers were vaccinated several weeks ago. On March 7, the district sent 686 teachers’ names to the state to put them on the list for vaccines allocated for teachers.

On March 14, the IU sent invitations to people who were unable to get on the state list, offering them the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine; the district is also registering teachers for roughly 80 vaccines available through Rite Aid, and for additional vaccinations through another community partner. On March 16, Giordano will offer any remaining unvaccinated elementary staff an opportunity to partake in the state’s second round of teacher vaccinations. “If someone’s not vaccinated two weeks in advance of April 12, it’s because they chose not to be.”

Emotional discussion

About the necessity of switching classrooms around to accommodate classes that are larger than the target of 20 and still create three feet of space among individuals, Roy stated firmly, “Those are obstacles to be overcome; they are not reasons not to go back, for the good of our children.” He reiterated the district’s maxim that, “Whenever masks are off, there has to be six feet [of distance].”

Repeated questions from teacher Melissa Ziegler and parent Heather Mazak created an emotional atmosphere at the meeting, despite the distance of Zoom. “I would invite you, Dr. Karen Beck-Pooley to come into my classroom and tell how to make myself and my family safe,” Ms. Ziegler typed. “My classroom is not safe.... I’m sorry.”

“We have had children in BASD for eight years and I can tell you that none of my kids have had classes with less than 24 kids in the classroom. I have a huge concern with the space between the kids. I would urge the board to please look at each school and classrooms before making decision,” pleaded Mazak.

Silva said some of the questions posed through the Q&A box in Zoom implied that district administration has not been considering these issues. He was adamant that district administration has been in daily consultation with local health experts, and that the superintendent’s office will work with building principals to solve “these issues, [which are] front and center continually.”

Giordano added, “As someone who spends hours on elementary class sizes and all of the parents’ requests to principals this year, no one is going to tell me that you’ve always had 24 or more in a class. That hasn’t been true for 10 years,” he averred.

Roy reminded the board, “The voices that we’re not hearing tonight are the voices of the children who need to be in school […] We’re representing the voices of the kids who need to be back in school, and I wish we would have had some parents speak to that tonight, because that’s the need we’re addressing.”

Toward the end of the meeting, William Walczak voiced his support for the administration’s recommendation via the Q&A box.

“As a parent, I know my child needs more classroom time,” he said. “I have concerns but I am sure the district will do the best they can and the benefits outweigh the concerns. As an employee in transportation, I know we will work as hard as the school buildings to do our best to ensure the safety there as well.”

Dawn Fuhrman echoed Walczak’s comments, saying, “As both an employee and a parent of this district, I would like to respond to Roy’s wish. I hear my son tell everyone he talks to how he misses his friends and being in class. He misses his teachers and is tired of seeing everyone on a computer. Although his teachers have been amazing, he misses being there in person. While I realize my son is in middle school, and I understand why middle school cannot go back yet, I fully support elementary students returning to school.”

Weapons policy updated

CHRO Giordano explained the planned changes to the district’s weapons policy (Board Policy 218.1), which had its first of three readings at the meeting. The change is fairly small: Students found in violation of the policy will face consequences defined in the district’s Framework for Citizenship. Because weapon possession is defined as a Level IV infraction, the penalty is typically one year of expulsion from school. The superintendent, with the board’s approval, may determine a term of expulsion shorter than one year; the board may also require expulsion longer than one year, including permanently.

The board voted at its March 22 meeting on the proposed academic calendar, board meeting schedule for next year, and student teacher placement agreements. All proposed actions are posted on the board’s website.