Pottsgrove Votes to Return to Class, If It Can

Image from screenshot

Pottsgrove High School Principal William Ziegler starred in a video shown at last night's school board meeting outlining the safety measures put into place for the when students return.

Just as the rate of new coronavirus infections has begun to rise as part of the long-predicted autumn surge, the Pottsgrove School Board voted 6-3 Tuesday night to approve the plan to return students to class part-time.

Board members Ashley Custer, Jim Lapic and Patricia Grimm cast the dissenting votes, saying while they want students to return to class, they believe it would be safer to wait until after the holidays.

But that may happen regardless, explained Superintendent William Shirk.

Her said the plan the board approved aims to have students return to class two days a week in a hybrid model adopted by many area districts on Nov. 30.

However, the return will be contingent on the advice of the Montgomery County Health Department which has been helping the district track the COVID-19 cases in the community and is issuing advisories based on advice from medical experts at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

There has been an increases in cases in the three townships that comprise the district, Shirk said and the district's rate has slipped above 5 percent where it has hovered for weeks to 5.92 percent.

State guidelines still allow the district to go to hybrid when the rate is between 5 and 8 percent. Shirk 
noted that Berks, Lehigh and Delaware counties have been above the 5 percent mark for weeks and continue to provide hybrid instruction.

That said, with some special education students in buildings, Western Center students getting in-person learning and athletes practicing and competing, there has been no known case of transmission within district facilities, Shirk said.

Nevertheless, Shirk said the plan the board adopted allows the district to adapt to changing conditions and the vote the board took allows him to call the shots.

"The county may shut us down for two weeks. We need to be ready and if we don't pass this now, we won't be ready," Shirk said. "If I have to shut it down, I'm going to shut it down."

"We have been very thoughtful with our process. We've paid attention to detail and now our goal is to move ahead with our plan when we get the nod from the health experts," said Shirk, adding that the experts at the county health department have been in constant contact with district officials and can provide contact tracing for any cases that spring up.

"Montgomery County has offered help throughout this entire process," said Shirk. "They are very interested in having the students back in class."

So too are many of the parents and some of the nearly 500 who signed on to watch the discussion Tuesday night told the board so.

A scene from the video showing CODI-19 safety 

measures at Pottsgrove High School

Parent said Jeanette Clifton said her daughter was in honors last year and is getting F's this year. "I've heard from teachers that other students are failing too. Please give us the option to send them back to class."

"Making the wrong choice is terrifying, but I still want the choice," said parent Katie Coppa. She said her children are struggling with virtual and she found her son sobbing in his room the other day because of his difficulties.

Thomas McMichael said he too knows of children crying from their frustrations. "It's not too late to help these kids. They have a right to an education."

Katy Espana said her son is in third grade "and he can barely read." She has to work so her child is in day care "with 20 other kids every day. I don't see the difference."

But opinion on the subject of returning to class is far from universal.

Sarah Becker-Fralich, who is also a teacher in the district, urge the board to vote to remain in virtual learning. "Cases are rising, this is not the time to send our kids back," she said, adding that her daughter feels she will be left behind if other kids go back and she is doing virtual.

Becker-Fralich also said she is "terrified" to go back to school Thursday.

Her daughter Kylie, a student at the high school, acknowledged she is struggling with virtual learning, "but I would rather not have a memorial page in the yearbook this year for peers and teachers who died from COVID. That would be devastating."

Bonnie Hains noted that even if the district begins hybrid classes on Nov. 30, because of the alternating days, some students will only have six days of in-person class, and others only eight, before the holiday break.

"Doesn't it make sense to start after the holidays rather than have a few days, stop for two weeks, and then have to start up again in January?" she asked.

That was exactly the position taken by the three school board members who voted against the motion Tuesday.

All three said they support the hybrid plan, but think it should not start until after the holidays.

"Bringing everybody back to school right after Thanksgiving, I don't see how that's a good idea," said Custer. "People will travel and asymptomatic people are going to spread it."

School Board President Robert Lindgren said it is the board's job to vote on policy, "which is the what, not the when. the plan is to open when we're ready, when the numbers match. We're not going to tell Dr. Shirk 'now!,'" he said.

"It's when we're ready. Implementation is with the administration, not the nine of us, whether that's Nov. 30 or after Christmas," said Lindgren.

As a result of the vote to move forward, the board also voted to re-start bus transportation. As a result, even if Pottsgrove has to go back to virtual for any reason, the district will have to continue to provide transportation to students who attend private schools within 10 miles of the district.

Click here to read the Tweets from the meeting.