Hempfield on track to complete school year by the end of May

Despite a two-week interruption, Hempfield students are on track to finish the school year by the end of May.

Slated to end May 28, the district is on track with the original end-of-school date, according to a new calendar released by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki. Graduation, originally scheduled for May 28, now will take place May 29.

The changes were made after schools were closed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf for 10 days starting March 16 to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. By March 30, Wolf extended the closure indefinitely, causing districts to turn to online learning.

Because of the pandemic, districts are not required to complete 180 days of school as normally required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Educators are strongly encouraged to extend the school year or use snow and Act 80 days to restructure their calenders.

Hempfield did, however, implement some changes for the remainder of the school year.

Students in Kindergarten through second grade will not be issued grades for the fourth nine weeks. Students in third through 12 grades will continue to be graded, although teachers were asked to be flexible and less stringent.

“Please continue to be patient and communicate with your child’s teachers and building principal as we learn in this virtual education environment together. We must try to make the best out of an unfortunate situation,” Matt Conner, assistant superintendent for elementary education, wrote in a letter to parents.