The Weatherly Area School Board voted to start school on Sept. 8 online, and do online-only instruction through the end of the first marking period in early November.

At the Weatherly school board caucus meeting last Wednesday, Superintendent Teresa Young said that, due to new COVID-19 guidelines released by the state, remote online instruction is the safest way for students and staff to start the 2020-21 school year.

School board members attending the meeting voted in favor of this approach. Board member Gerry Grega, who phoned in, said he was opposed and supported in-person instruction.

The plan, as sent in a letter to Weatherly Area parents and guardians, is to have grades 7 to 12 doing real-time learning, taught by Weatherly teachers, Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Fridays, students can make an appointment with teachers if needed for individual help, or study on their own.

Students will have the option to choose Weatherly Area Virtual Education - WAVE, for independent online learning. WAVE programs are not taught by Weatherly Area School District teachers, but are monitored by them, with Weatherly teachers available for additional help during school hours. In the letter, parents were directed to email millerl1@weatherlysd.org to sign up for WAVE.

For children from Pre-K to sixth grade, there will be live online classes taught by Weatherly teachers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. WAVE is also available to these students.

Young closed her letter to the parents and guardians by saying that faculty and staff “are excited to welcome our students back (virtually).” The Weatherly administration and staff are “committed to providing a safe and healthy return for our school community.”