Remote learning, cyber school part of New Kensington-Arnold's plan for 2020-21 school year

New Kensington-Arnold School District’s plan for the coming school year includes remote learning for students who don’t want to go back to the district’s buildings because of coronavirus.

The district also will be providing a cyber program, the district announced.

The district’s reopening plan will be presented to the school board and public during a committee meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting will be held virtually on the Zoom platform; information on how to view and participate in the meeting is available on the district’s website.

The state is requiring districts to create health and safety plans for the 2020-21 school year.

New Kensington-Arnold’s plan includes feedback from a survey of district parents and guardians. In June, based on early survey results, Superintendent John Pallone said the district was projecting that up to 600 students won’t come back to buildings in the fall because of covid-19.

Administrators, nursing staff, teachers and school board members worked on the plan, the district said in a news release.

The district says that while nothing can completely eliminate the risk of transmission or exposure to the virus within the school population, the goal of the plan is to keep the risk as low as possible.

“The primary focus of the plan is on learning and communication, to ensure that all stakeholders are fully informed and prepared for the local reopening of school facilities, including student transportation,” the district said.

The school board will have to approve the plan. It will be presented to the board for approval at its July 28 meeting.

The plan will be posted to the district’s website before schools reopen. It will be submitted to the state Department of Education.

On its website, the Department of Education has a list of schools that have submitted health and safety plans to the department. The page, searchable by county, includes a list of districts that have submitted plans, the date they were received and links to their websites.

As of the last update on Monday, five Allegheny County districts — Chartiers Valley, Hampton Township, North Hills, Northgate and Upper St. Clair — had submitted plans. From Westmoreland County, three districts — Greater Latrobe, Leechburg Area (also in Armstrong County) and Ligonier Valley — had done so.