The Neshaminy School District is moving forward with reopening schools five days per week.
The school board voted 8-0 Tuesday evening to expanding in-person classes in the coming weeks.
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The plan that was approved has the middle schools and high school returning in-person students to classrooms five-days per week starting Monday, April 5 as the hybrid model ends. Elementary schools would move to five-day per week instruction starting the week of Monday, March 8.
The district would continue virtual learning, but asked students and parents to lock in their decision for the rest of the school year.
“This is a plan for April 5. It’s not set in stone, but it’s a hope that numbers go down and things continue to improve,” said Superintendent Dr. Rob McGee.
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Board member Tina Hollenbach echoed McGee’s comment and said the approval of the plan allows the administration to prepare, but conditions in the community could cause the plan to be rolled back.
At the meeting earlier this month, officials said the district will continue COVID-19 safety measures, but some desks could be closer than 3 feet of distance depending on how many students opt for in-person learning.
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McGee said this week that additional staff have been hired to assist with returning more to in-person classes. He thanked employees and the transportation staff, who will also be assisting at schools during the day, for their efforts.
McGee said Neshaminy will be watching districts pressing forward with similar plans to see what they can learn.
Tara Huber, the president of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers (NFT), asked the school board to keep things how they presently are due to slow vaccine rollout for school staff, more transmissible COVID-19 variants, and the number of COVID-19 cases in the county.
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“It’s a bit premature as there are so many unknown factors,” she said.
Board member Cyndie Bowman said the district has considered safety of students and staff when making the decision to expand in-person learning. She urged the union to speak with the Bucks County Health Department about a vaccination clinic for teachers.
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Board President Stephen Pirritano said the district has invested heavily in keeping staff and students safe during COVID-19.
“We understand your apprehension. We are not discounting it. We also appreciate that both the teachers and support staff have worked side by side with us since the beginning,” he said in response to Huber’s comments.
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The board president praised the staff for their work educating students during the pandemic.
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