Hempfield Area lays out preliminary reopening plans

Hempfield Area School District has released plans for reopening schools this fall.

The phased approach would welcome students back to physical locations starting Aug. 27, with staggered schedules dictated by grade level, a letter written by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki reads.

Under the initial plans, kindergarten students will attend school on a half-day model, giving students time to get to know their teacher and some classmates before attending for a full day. A morning session will run from 9:15 a.m. to noon, and an afternoon session will run from 1 to 3:45 p.m.

Transportation will be provided to school for the morning session and home from school for the afternoon session. Mid-day transportation is unavailable because of the financial impact to the district, the letter reads.

Students in first through fifth grade would begin school at 9:15 a.m. Smaller class sizes will be utilized to promote social distancing.

The school day will end at 3:45 p.m., and a staggered dismissal will begin at 4 p.m.

Students in sixth through 12th grades will attend school every other day. On days students are not in school, instruction will be provided virtually through LessonBot, which will be installed in each classroom so students are able to watch lessons in real time along with students physically attending school.

Recordings of the lessons will be available for viewing at later dates.

“The teacher can continue each day through curriculum,” Wolicki said during a meeting last week. “When (students) return to school the very next day, they would continue to move forward with the curriculum.”

Chromebooks will be provided to each student in grades three through 12, thanks to funds received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Students are permitted to take them home daily. Students in kindergarten, first and second grades will use their devices at school.

If Westmoreland County were to reenter the red phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s three-phased reopening plan, Wolicki said, all students will have a computer for at-home instruction.

District leaders hope the first phase of the plan will last a few weeks before the second phase can be implemented.

Officials will use the time to monitor the effectiveness of modifications made to reduce exposure to covid-19, including Plexiglas placed in areas where social distancing is a challenge — such as computer labs, serving lines and office areas — modifications to water fountains near cafeterias to include touchless devices for filling water bottles and barcode scanning in lunch lines rather than a keypad.

Hand sanitizer stations will be placed in high-traffic areas. Secondary students will be required to wear face masks while walking the hallways, when social distancing is less than 6 feet and on school buses. Masks are not required while outside as long as 6 feet of social distancing is maintained.

Elementary students are not required to wear masks during the school day.

A virtual town hall will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, when parents and students can give their input on the initials plans. Those interested in speaking during the meeting can email board Secretary Pam Gibasiewicz at gibasiewiczp@hasdpa.net no later than Wednesday.

A link to the meeting will be posted to the district website, hasdpa.net, at the start of the meeting.

Finalized health and safety plans for the district will be voted on at the July 20 board meeting.