Many area school districts will provide various forms of at-home instruction during the two-week statewide closure.
Schools across Bucks and Montgomery counties are making plans to provide at-home instruction either online or by other means, though in many cases those plans aren’t yet fully formed and will be communicated to parents next week.
Other contingencies include ways to provide free and reduced cost meals to eligible students during the closure.
In Quakertown, officials have compiled a list of optional educational resources for student use over the next two weeks. Comcast is providing two months free of their $9.95 Internet Essentials program for low-income families to help students and families who are out of school.
Free and reduced cost lunches will be provided for pickup 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at Quakertown Community High School. Students will need to enter their ID number and name the school they attend.
Council Rock Superintendent Robert Fraser wrote in a letter to parents “at this time we will not be implementing any kind of virtual learning program. That could change as guidance continues to be provided by PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education).”
His letter does not include any information on free or reduced meals.
Hatboro-Horsham School District officials said a Simmons Elementary School student tested negative for the coronavirus and also touched on other closure issues in a notice to parents.
“Many schools are using online resources to engage students in home learning experiences during extended closures,” district officials said. “The district will communicate our strategy on Monday. Initially, the district will provide broad strategies for keeping students engaged in learning during this extended closure for the week of March 16.
“Later next week, we will provide information about more structured learning experiences for students that will begin the week of March 23.”
A Palisades news release said enrichment materials for students were being sent home today (Friday) with elementary students, as well as being sent via email to middle and high school students. The materials will also be made available on the district website.
Bag lunches will be provided to students using a drive-through process at Tinicum Elementary School. All Palisades students will be served from this location.
Statements from districts in Bucks and Montgomery counties have said any online or other form of at-home learning taking place during the closure is not meant to replicate in-school instruction but more to keep students engaged in learning while not in school.
School officials do not have to worry about whether at-home learning will count as an official day of instruction because Gov. Tom Wolf in his statewide school closings announcement said districts will not be punished for not meeting the 180-day rule because of the emergency circumstances.
Pennridge officials said “administrators and teachers had already begun developing instructional materials for students in the event of a longer shutdown. Enrichment material and resources will be available by grade level and subject matter for students and families.
“Instructional material and advice for student learning during the two-week shutdown will be available on the district website on Tuesday. This material is not meant to fully replace instruction but should help maintain some level of academic focus during the closure.”
All Bucks and Montgomery districts said that during the closure “school personnel and students are prohibited from entering school facilities; however, a limited number of essential staff may be able to perform essential functions such as running payroll, cleaning facilities, maintaining communication systems and providing security as needed.”
The Philadelphia Archdiocese announced Friday all its schools including those in Bucks and Montgomery counties have shifted to the flexible instructional model for the next two weeks.
“Teachers will provide ongoing assignments, educational support and availability for student questions and interaction through an online learning management system,” archdiocese officials said. “Students will be completing learning assignments from home.”
The archdiocese is working on a plan to keep providing meals to students in need.
“A special task force has been convened to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on Catholic education and develop our ongoing response,” officials said. “Matters are being evaluated on a daily, if not hourly basis.”
Like all private schools, archdiocese schools do not fall under the state’s 180-day requirement.
