Leaders in the Hempfield Area School District once again postponed a full return of middle school students as covid-19 cases remain high.

Rather than returning to in-person classes five days a week starting Jan. 19, students will continue indefinitely with the hybrid model, or a mix of in-person and online classes.

In a letter to parents, Superintendent Tammy Wolicki and Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Matthew Conner attributed the postponement to community spread, presumptive and positive cases continually reported at schools and the possibility that school buildings could have to close depending on the number of positive cases.

“We recognize that welcoming more students back to our middle schools at this time may lead to increased school closures or remote only instruction,” the letter reads.

As of Tuesday, 17 cases were reported across the district, according to an online tracker. Of those, two were reported at Harrold Middle School and three at West Hempfield Middle. Wendover Middle School was closed Monday after four cases were reported in the building. By Tuesday, the tracker reflected zero cases at the school.

Covid-19 cases across the community also remain high, with Westmoreland County staying in the “substantial” threshold, or the highest designation by state health officials that is reached when there are at least 100 cases per 100,000 people. For the week of Jan. 1-7, the county’s incidence rate was 296.6.

Wolicki and Conner said they will continue to monitor that data to determine when middle school students might be able to return full time.

“As soon as we believe it will be advantageous to initiate the next step of our reopening plan for the middle schools, communication will be made regarding a firm return date,” the letter reads. “The instructional model that families selected for the third quarter will be honored when all students begin to attend daily.”

This is the second time a return date for students was postponed. School leaders first proposed the idea in November, and surveys were distributed for parents to indicate if they were interested in sending their kids back fully remote or in-person five days a week. A week later the surveys were edited to include the third option of remaining in the hybrid model.

When middle school students do make a full return to the classroom, they will be put on an A/B schedule. That means the 80-minute instructional blocks will be split for students to rotate between face-to-face time with their teachers and spending time in an overflow space, like the gymnasium or auditorium, where they will attend classes virtually.

For example, on A days, students who are on the B schedule will begin their day in the overflow space where they will watch the teacher online. Halfway through the class, the students will switch. This method will be used for core classes, including English language arts, math, science and social studies.

When a determination is made for students to fully return, building principals will communicate plans and procedures with students.

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