Across the United States, a majority of parents are wary of sending their children back to school this fall. Two recent national polls found that 60% of parents want school reopening to be delayed due to coronavirus.
In Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, some schools managed to stay open for less than two weeks before they were shut down as waves of students, teachers, and support staffers were infected with COVID-19.
At Chartiers Valley, however, many parents seem to be confident about putting their children back into classrooms. A recent district-conducted survey found that nearly 75% of CV parents are comfortable with their kids attending class in-person starting next week.
Bolstered by those figures, Chartiers Valley’s school directors voted 8-1 last week to approve a hybrid approach to the start of the school year. Students will attend school in person twice a week and learn remotely during the other three days. CV will also offer an all-online option for parents who aren’t comfortable sending their kids to school during a pandemic.
The lone vote against the hybrid reopening plan was from Eric Kraemer, who believes that students in at least some grade levels should have the option to be in a classroom with their peers five days per week. Parents of younger children tend to want their kids to stay home, he noted, while parents of high schoolers lean toward letting students leave the house for school.
Several other school directors would also prefer a full-time in-person option, but they supported the hybrid model as a first step toward a full reopening.
Chartiers Valley’s teacher will be on-site in the district’s buildings, even when teaching remotely.
Chartiers Valley joins South Fayette, Upper St. Clair, and many other regional district that plan to hold at least some in-person classes this fall.
CV parents have already been notified about the re-opening plan. Area residents can get more information at: https://www.cvsd.net/reopening-and-planning/preliminary-reopening-plan