Penn-Trafford School Board will vote on the district’s proposed health and safety plan for the coming academic year at its meeting Aug. 9.

The proposed plan will not require students, teachers or staff to wear masks or maintain social distancing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines Tuesday recommending universal masking indoors, regardless of vaccination status, in areas with high coronavirus case numbers.

Penn-Trafford, along with the Pittsburgh region, is considered to have a moderate number of cases. Superintendent Matthew Harris said the district will continue with its current health and safety plan for the time being.

Assistant Superintendent and Pandemic Coordinator Scott Inglese said people can choose to wear masks if they feel more comfortable doing so.

He added that some opportunities for social distancing will be offered, but all school and athletic events will return to standard operation. District meetings, however, may be held virtually or over the phone if there is an increase in coronavirus cases.

The district hopes to “get back to as normal of a year” as possible, according to Inglese.

Jennifer Spate, parent of three children in Level Green Elementary, echoed this sentiment.

“At some point you have to draw the line and go 100% back, and I hope that’s what they’re going to do,” the Level Green resident said.

Spate said the proposed health and safety plan will improve the learning experience, and she does not think it is necessary for her children to wear masks this academic year.

Spate also understands why other parents might prefer their children to wear masks.

“I feel like if you have an underlying disease, autoimmune issues or if you’re going through health related concerns, definitely protect yourself and wear a mask,” Spate said.

Andrea Honigmann said the district handled the pandemic well last year, but she doesn’t think the new plan matches the safety level of other districts’ guidelines.

Honigmann of Penn Township has two children at Level Green Elementary and one at Trafford Middle. She is “not necessarily convinced that kids should be without masks yet” since the vaccine is not approved for children under 12.

“(The plan) is a little more lax than I would like to see,” Honigmann said. “There’s nothing to say that these kids won’t be exposed and bring (the coronavirus) to school.”

Honigmann added that her children would benefit from in-person instruction. She sent her oldest child back to school in January, a month earlier than her other children, because of the difficulties that came with remote learning.

“She just did better in a structured classroom,” Honigmann said. “The learning experience is better in the classroom, which is the tough part.”

Similarly, Spate said was “extremely disappointed” with the district’s remote learning system. She said it relied too heavily on worksheets and watching videos.

Spate expects a more effective education if the plan for fully in-person instruction passes.

“Anytime they can be in a seat in a classroom with a teacher, they benefit from that,” Spate said. “They need that face-to-face instruction and they need to be with their peers, not mom and dad.”

Inglese said the district will continue to follow any mandates from the state health and education departments.

Both departments announced July 16 they will not release separate guidelines for schools this academic year. Rather, they have deferred to the CDC recommendations.

Although Penn Township is not a high transmission rate area now, Honigmann said she anticipates it will be in a few months.

“Retroactively scrambling to put a new plan in place will be harder than masking from the start, which the children are used to already,” Honigmann said.

The district’s plan continues sanitizing practices put in place last year, including cleaning restrooms and frequently touched surfaces throughout the day and providing teachers with cleaning supplies to use as needed.

According to the plan, circulation of outdoor air and encouraging students to bring their own water bottles will also be upheld if passed. The plan proposes that water fountains remain closed and that water bottle filling stations are used instead.

The plan allows for continuation of the district’s food service programs, including free breakfast and lunches in the summer and fall, until federal funding is depleted.

Contact tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures — based on previous Department of Health guidelines — will also continue under the proposed plan.

Penn-Trafford will not continue its hybrid instruction. Students who do not feel comfortable returning to in-person learning can enroll in the district’s E-Learning program operated by teachers from the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit.

Additionally, the plan only requires coronavirus testing if it is mandated by the state.

Regardless of the specifics, Honigmann said her main hope for the plan approved is that it keeps her children safe in the return to school this fall.

“They’ll say it’s just a cold, but it’s not always,” Honigmann said. “It may be a rare occurrence, but when it’s your kid, it’s not minor.”

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