Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The Bristol Township School Board will be considering returning students to in-person classes.
The school board is set to vote on a staggered hybrid restart plan at their next meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 19.
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Under the proposal, students would begin returning to school buildings at an undetermined date by grade level. The district would use a “black” and “gold” schedule that would put students in school two days per week and learning from home three days a week. All students would learn virtually on Wednesday.
“This plan is contingent upon changes in state and federal guidelines, and recommendations of the Center for Disease Control. Any additional or changing information will be provided in a future update,” Superintendent Dr. Melanie Gehrens wrote in a recent letter to parents.
The district brought back students in the autistic support, emotional support, and life skills programs starting this week.
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Below is a question and answer guide the district put out:
The Staggered Hybrid Start is pending the Board of Director’s approval on October 19 to move forward.
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What if I do not feel comfortable sending my child back to school?
Attendance in the state of PA is compulsory. As we move back to face-to-face/brick-and-mortar school in any model, the expectation is that all students will attend. If your child has or is thought to have a mental or physical impairment, please contact your principal and request a meeting. If you have concerns regarding a face-to-face hybrid return please complete this survey and the Elementary or Secondary Curriculum Supervisor will get back to you.
Does Bristol Townships have a full-time cyber school option?
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Yes. If families do not feel comfortable sending their child back to school under the hybrid plan, a separate remote learning option is the Bristol Township Cyber Academy. This is a full Cyber program with all the benefits — co-curricular, sports, clus, field trips, graduation — of being a Bristol Township student. The Cyber program offers asynchronous online courses of Reading/English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, utilizing Bristol Township and Edmentum certified teachers.
Is the staggered hybrid start beginning before or after the first quarter?
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This has not been decided at this time. We will have more information after the October 19th Board meeting.
What will the Black/Gold schedule look like?
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Following the Black/Gold schedule, students will have two days in school, three days at home. Remote learning will continue with synchronous and asynchronous instruction. If the student is on the Black schedule they will attend on Monday and Thursday; Gold schedule will attend on Tuesday and Friday. All students will learn virtually on Wednesday. Every effort will be made to have siblings on the same schedule.Parents/students will be notified whether their child/ren will be on Black or Gold. This information will also be available on the students schedule and in the iCampus portal once the start date has been determined.
What safety protocols will be in place when students return to school?
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BTSD’s Health and Safety Plan can be viewed in full here. Below are some common concerns:
- Self screening processes will be used (link here)
- Classrooms are arranged to provide maximum distance between desks. In most classrooms, this is approximately 6 feet between desks/seats, when possible.
- When furniture and space permits, desks/seats will face the same direction
- Mask-wearing as mandated by the state.
- Lunch distributions will be modified.
- No Lockers/Locker Areas/Cubbies used.
- Students will not be changing for physical education
- Bristol Township School District Student Triage
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