Pottsgrove Returning to Hybrid Classes Dec. 7, Winter Sports OK'd, Leadership to Retire in June

Image from screenshot

Pottsgrove Schools Superintendent William Shirk outlines the latest COVID-19 figures during Tuesday night's school board meeting.

Pottsgrove school buildings will be open for in-person learning starting Monday, Dec. 7 after a motion to delay the opening until January failed on a 5-4 vote.

The board also voted 7-2 to allow winter sports to take place according to the district's safety plan.

And, as if that wasn't enough news for you, the board also accepted the notice from its three top administrators that they intend to retire in June.

Superintendent William Shirk, Assistant Superintendent Robert Harney and longtime business Manager David Nester will all retire June 30.

"The board has started the search process and looks forward to engaging all the stakeholders in the coming months," said School Board President Robert Lindgren.

And while the administrative leadership may have announced its departure date, the elected leadership remains unchanged. last night was the board's annual re-organization meeting and Lindgren was reelected to the post of president with only member Bill Parker voting no.

Al Leach was reelected as board Vice President, although there were also votes for Tina McIntyre who declared "I'm not voting for myself," and cast her vote for Leach.

Now, back to the matter everyone wants to know more about -- hybrid.

Shirk reported to the board that Montgomery County and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been working closely with its school districts and although COVID-19 infection numbers are on the rise, is willing to support the partial re-opening of classes.

Testing will begin in schools by January and contact tracing services will help track down any infections that do crop up in school buildings. 

"We feel confident. We understand numbers are high, but transmissions in schools have been zero in the public sector," Shirk said.

But some board members were not convinced its a good idea to re-open schools under the hybrid model given the increase in numbers and the likely jump to follow Thanksgiving celebrations last week.

Two weeks ago, the board voted to put the decision about when to implement the hybrid learning into the hands of the administration with a plan to re-open Nov. 30. But last night, four members tried to take it back, making a motion to delay any return to class until Jan. 19.

A decision to close all schools in Montgomery County for the period around Thanksgiving, in an effort to tamp down any community spread likely to spike after people traveled to see family for the holidays, had already delayed Pottsgrove's in-person education by a week.

Some board members thought that delay should continue.

"We just had Thanksgiving. Are those numbers even in yet?" asked board member Patricia Grimm before making a motion to delay the opening. "I just don't see the reason for the rush."

"This is not a rush," said board member Charles Nippert. "We started (working on this plan) in August."

"It just doesn't make sense to me to crowd a bunch of children in a building right now when health care workers are working at their absolute limit and field hospitals are being built," said board member Ashley Custer.

Board member Jay Strunk said the latest information shows schools are among the safest places, adding the support from Montgmery County is important, as is giving parents the choice about how their children will be educated. 

"And I don't think the risk will be significantly less in three to four weeks," Strunk said. "I think we're making a wise decision and I think we're prepared."

"We've already discussed this, we've already voted on this," said McIntyre. "We agreed to follow the county's guidelines. We voted to get out of the way."

Lindgren agreed, noting the COVID-19 numbers are higher, but "lethality of cases is down. The knowledge has increased."

"This is not just about the death rate," said Custer. "This is also about the long-term affects. There are people who caught it six months ago and still have no sense of taste or smell, people who can't walk around the block without running out of breath."

Parents and staff also weighed in and, as is always the case when COVID-19 is on the agenda, opions were strong on both sides.

"I can't believe we have to sit here and go through this again," said parent Stacey Messing. Students been in schools, pre-schools, some for five full days as long as 12 hours a day and cases not spreading there, she said.

Sarah Becker-Fralich, a teacher in a different district, said she has been teaching in the classroom and seven days in class, she contracted a fever. "I still do not have test results. Schools may think they are ready but the labs are not," she said.

(Click here to read more comments from the public.)

In the end, Custer, Grimm. Parker and board member Jim Lapic voted for the delay, while Lindgren, Leach, McIntyre, Nippert and Strunk voted to allow Shirk to continue with re-opening plans.

Shirk said as of now, 54 percent of the high school student body has indicated they will return for the hybrid teaching model, which has students in class two days a week, and learning online for the remainder.

At the middle school level, 58 percent of the student body is expected to return while at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary, the number is even higher at 67 percent.

Percentages at Ringing Rocks and West Pottsgrove elementary schools is closer to 70 percent, Shirk said.