Penn Hills School District officials plan to welcome students back to school with a hybrid in-person learning model, as well as a continued online learning option for families who might not be comfortable sending children back into the buildings.

Administrators are expected to officially present the two options during a safety and grounds committee meeting Aug. 5. A draft of the plans is posted on the district’s website.

Superintendent Nancy Hines said the district had considered another option that would have students in school five days a week. That was taken off the table because of a rise in covid-19 cases as well as responses to a recent parental survey.

Students would be placed into two groups under the hybrid option with one group in school buildings Mondays and Tuesdays. The other group would be in class Thursdays and Fridays.

Days that students aren’t in school buildings, they would receive online instruction. Students would be required to wear face coverings in school and on buses. Staffers also will be wearing masks.

The district is working on getting computers for all students to assist with the online and hybrid-learning models. Students in either plan would be taught by district teachers.

The hybrid option would be available for at least the first quarter of the school year.

Plans also include parents performing wellness and temperature checks on their children before sending them to school. Any child feeling ill or showing symptoms should stay home.

Hines said there is no plan to delay the start of school. The first day of class is Aug. 25.

Hines said an estimated 1,250 students plan to return to schools while about 1,900 might continue online learning.

Estimates come from a back-to-school survey, which parents can still participate in via the district’s website.

Hines said families who do not respond to the survey will be placed in the online learning category.

Board President Erin Vecchio said student safety is the district’s top priority, and she believes the two options are the best that can be offered without more specific guidance from the state.

“I don’t want to put anybody in danger,” Vecchio said. “Harrisburg needs to give us more guidelines because we don’t know what to do. This is a guessing game every single day.”

Vecchio also said she believes the district needs to hire a company to do temperature checks at the schools instead of relying on parental checks.

“We need to bring some kind of company in here, because right now there’s grant money to cover all this,” she said. “We need professionals to be standing there as these kids are getting off the bus or on the bus to see if these kids are sick or not sick.”

The board is expected to vote on the reopening plans during its Aug. 12 meeting.

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