While Gov. Tom Wolf said this week that pulling the plug on school reopening this fall isn’t out of the question if the COVID-19 surge isn’t slowed, his administration provided guidance on a safe reopening this fall on Thursday, even after the president of the state’s largest teachers union asked Wolf to order schools to plan for online-only instruction.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and Education Secretary Pedro Rivera jointly announced updated guidance to help Pre-K to 12 schools prepare to reopen and safely educate students for in-person learning.

Each school entity will determine if classes resume in person at school buildings, remotely or a combination of both options.

“Our goal is to ensure a safe return to school for students, educators and staff by following best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing,” Levine said. “In those instances when someone tests positive, public health staff from the department will immediately assist the school with risk assessment, isolation and quarantine recommendations, and other infection control recommendations.”

The guidance represents endorsed best public health practices related to social distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfecting in school settings. It also outlines how to accommodate individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions, procedures for monitoring symptoms, and responding to confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the school community.

“The health and safety of students, teachers and staff must be paramount as schools prepare for the upcoming school year,” Rivera said. “The Department of Education has been focused on supporting schools with resources and best practices to help school leaders make informed decisions within their local contexts and in response to evolving conditions.”

The recommendations for schools outlined include:

• Masks must be worn by students and staff at school and on the bus as required by the order signed by Levine on July 1, with some exceptions. Masks can be removed to eat or drink.

• Students or caregivers should do a daily symptom screening before leaving for school.

• Students, teachers and other staff are strongly encouraged to follow social distancing throughout the day with 6 feet of separation between desks and other seating.

• If possible, hold classes in gyms, auditoriums, other large spaces or outdoors, where physical distancing can be maintained.

• Student seating should be facing in the same direction.

• Limit student interactions by staggering class times, creating one-way walking patterns in hallways, and, when feasible, keeping students in a classroom and rotating teachers instead.

• For breakfast and lunch, consider serving individually packaged meals in classrooms and avoid across-the-table seating. If meals are served in a cafeteria, sit students at least 6 feet apart.

• Limit the number of students on playgrounds at one time and encourage social distancing.

• Encourage the use of virtual gatherings, events and extracurricular activities.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the state’s largest teachers union asked Wolf to order schools to plan for online-only instruction, citing mounting concern among educators and parents about the “significant health risks” posed by sending kids back to the classroom.

“It is extremely important for Pennsylvania’s public schools to plan for the distinct possibility that further increases in COVID-19 cases will make it impossible to safely reopen Pennsylvania’s schools for in-person instruction,” wrote Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Levine and Rivera would not offer a direct answer Thursday when asked to describe the circumstances under which they might reverse course and scuttle in-person instruction.

“It’s very hard, obviously, for me to predict what things will be like in the fall,” Levine said on a conference call with reporters. “What I like to emphasize is the things we need to do now. … What we absolutely need to do now is everything we possibly can so that schools can reopen safely in the fall.”

Askey, the union president, called on the state to ensure that every school’s reopening plan includes vigorous protocols to reduce risk.

The preliminary guidance requires school districts, charter schools, regional charter schools, cyber charter schools, career and technical centers and intermediate units to develop a health and safety plan. The plans must be approved by the school’s governing body and made available on the school’s public website before bringing students and staff back to campus.

Nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to create plans tailored to their unique needs and post them on their websites.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.