Schuylkill County is going back to school.

However, districts across the county are taking different approaches due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s a full return to the classroom, virtual learning or a hybrid option, each plan provides different challenges and obstacles. Led by Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 Executive Director, Dr. Greg Koons, the group of 12 Schuylkill County superintendents have been meeting weekly to collaborate and help make the best decisions for their respective districts.

“All the way through, we’ve been working with our union,” Koons said. “The more we can collaborate with our union and having the back-and-forth discussion has been key. I was pleasantly surprised with how cooperative the union is being with the whole process, because I know there is a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety.”

The group has met with representatives from important agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

“John Matz, of the EMA, is instrumental to us as we move forward,” Koons said. “He helps to calculate the numbers, so that we know how many ‘true’ positive cases are in Schuylkill County. He utilizes the combination of the department of health and John Hopkins information in order to determine the numbers for Schuylkill County.”

The Tamaqua Area School District plans to return for a full opening on Aug. 26.

A separate virtual option is offered for students.

Superintendent Ray Kinder talked about the PDE’s recommendations last week.

“According to that information, it’s recommending a hybrid/blended opening or a full virtual opening. But it does specifically say both in the email that was sent to us, as well as the documents themselves, that these are recommendations and local school districts can make the determinations that they feel is best.”

The 38-page TASD Health and Safety Reopening Plan will be put to vote at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Mask or not to mask?

There have been many questions about masks and face coverings from concerned faculty and students throughout the 12 districts.

Under what circumstances are students permitted to remove their face coverings? A response on the PDE’s website says “Schools should provide face covering breaks throughout the day. Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet during these face covering breaks.”

Exceptions include when eating and drinking at least 6 feet apart, seated at desks or assigned workspaces 6 feet apart, engaged in any activity 6 feet apart (recess, etc.) or when it creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task.

What about faculty and staff?

“It’s a little bit different in every district,” Koons said. “Hallways and everywhere else, masks apply the same way. However, if they’re 6 feet away while teaching, it’s up to each district to determine whether or not the faculty member is required to wear a face covering while doing so.

There’s a lot that’s on a teacher’s plate right now. Especially if you have the hybrid model, where it’s some face-to-face and some virtual. It can be very taxing on a teacher.”

It will be mandatory for students returning to any TASD building to wear a mask or face covering during the school day.

“We will try to build in breaks and create situations where people can be further apart, that they may be able to take them off,” Kinder said. “But the reality is, if you’re coming into the building and you’re going to be there for seven hours a day, you’re going to spend a significant time with a mask or face covering on. If you’re not able to do that, whether it’s for a discomfort level or whatever it might be, I highly encourage you to look at the virtual route through the school district.”

Kinder said that face shields will be supplied to staff and faculty and some are available for students.

Working through the year

The Schuylkill superintendents will continue to meet regularly throughout the school year as the battle against the coronavirus continues.

“They’re working though different case scenarios; what happens if a student identifies positive and how do we continue to move on without having to shut the whole entire school down? Those kinds of things, we’ll continue to work through and we’ll have different protocols for them,” Koons said.

We’ll continue to monitor student health and safety. These health and safety plans are a working document. As we are presented with different scenarios, of if we have to modify plans, we will. And that’s based on the guidance we get from PDE too. They don’t expect it to be a static document, they expect it to be a working document. It’s uncharted territory for us and we’ll take it one day at a time.”