The Pleasant Valley School District unveiled its plan for the upcoming school year at the school board meeting. A few hours before the meeting, the state Department of Health and the Department of Education released its newest guidelines.

Many of the state’s policies were already anticipated by the school district and included in the plan released Thursday night.

The plan was developed in conjunction with the results of more than 2,000 parents, students and community members who completed the reopening survey, said Superintendent Lee Lesisko.

If Monroe County remains in the green phase, the plan involves splitting the students into groups based on their last names. Students whose last names start with A through K would attend in-person classes on Monday and Tuesday, while students with names between L through Z would attend online instruction.

All students would attend online classes on Wednesday, which will allow for meetings, teacher office hours and deep cleaning opportunities. Then on Thursday and Friday, students with last names between L and Z would attend in-person instruction, while the first group attends classes online.

“Every school district in Pennsylvania is in the same situation as Pleasant Valley. Our plan is fluid. We will be making changes up until and perhaps after the start of school,” Lesisko said. “Our plan is also dependent on further updates from the PA Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control, and the government.”

If there are changes, then the principals at the various schools will contact families before the school year begins.

For parents who do not feel comfortable with in-person classes, they may want to consider registering their children for the Pleasant Valley Cyber Academy, Lesisko said. This is available for children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade, and he took a moment to clear up some misunderstanding people may have about the cyber academy.

“Pleasant Valley Cyber Academy students have several opportunities to meet with teachers throughout the day, to seek one-on-one content support in a synchronous environment,” he said. “There is also a homework help line available in the evenings. In addition, students may send emails and submit inquiries 24/7 to their teachers and receive clarification and feedback as needed. Finally, students are meeting daily in a synchronous homeroom session to check in, discuss upcoming deadlines, hear district announcements and review student individual progress.”

Lesisko said the cyber academy provides flexibility that can accommodate a variety of learning models.

“Our ultimate goal for our students is to master the content and skills,” he said.

For students and staff in the school buildings, they will need to self-monitor for COVID symptoms before leaving their homes each day before school. Once at the bus stop, students will need to wear a face covering and practice social distancing.

On the bus, they will be seated with two students per seat. This is necessary in order to reduce bus trips, Lesisko said, and it is in accordance with state guidelines that were released Thursday afternoon by the state. Parents are welcome to drive their children to school.

Once at school, backpacks will be allowed, but the lockers will not be used. Face coverings will be required when entering the school building by staff and students, and while walking through the halls, Lesisko said. When students are seated in the classroom, they can remove their face covering, because they will be sitting 6 feet apart.

“Any interaction less than 6 feet apart will require face covering by staff and students,” he said.

The state mandates that all desks be placed facing in the same direction, and suggests that teachers, instead of students, switch classrooms in order to reduce the number of people moving in the hallways.

As for lunch, Pleasant Valley plans to use the cafeterias, but the space will be expanded to accommodate social distancing. The state’s recent recommendation is to have students eat their lunches in their classroom if possible.

There will also be two nurses’ stations in each school. One station will be for students who experience COVID symptoms. The other station will be for all other medical needs.

The school board is planning to have a special meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m. July 23 to further discuss the plans for next school year and answer residents’ and parents’ questions. The link will be on the district website.