Teachers are on schedule to return to Warren County School District buildings for the 2020 school year on Thursday, Aug. 27, and students will return on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued new recommendations for delivering instruction in the COVID-19 pandemic environment.

According to the department’s ‘level of community transmission table’ Warren County is in the low category for transmission for each of the last two weeks.

The department is suggesting a full in-person model or a blended model for districts in counties with low transmission. The school board previously approved a plan that allows for a full reopening of all school buildings with in-person education.

At Monday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Amy Stewart said about 80 percent of district families had responded to surveys regarding their plans for the school year. “We’ve been holding pretty steady on 15 percent Virtual Academy, 12 percent live-stream option, and 73 percent planning to come back to school,” she said. “Once things get going… we’re likely to get more back in school.”

The live-stream option is intended to be fluid, allowing families to return their students to the classroom if they become comfortable with the idea.

Because many students will not return in person, the district will need more teachers for the Virtual Academy. But, because there will be fewer students in classrooms, the district will be able to reduce the number of sections in elementary schools. “Staffing and re-staffing is going to be a big deal,” Stewart said. “All of the teachers I can free up, we can assign to elementary to teach virtually.”

She has also put out an open call for teachers who would like to teach virtually.

Some teachers “can’t return to school because of their health,” she said.

Many of those can teach from home.

Asked if teachers would have to be cut this year, Superintendent Amy Stewart said that among the teachers who, for medical reasons, will not return to the school buildings are some whose certification areas are not needed in the Virtual Academy environment.

Those teachers won’t lose their jobs.

They have asked to be allowed to take leaves of absence and the district is approving those, Stewart said.

District officials are concerned about funding for transportation. The distancing restrictions for school buses are calling for no more than two students in a seat.

“That is going to impact our funding if they don’t change how are transportation funding is done,” Stewart said. “If they don’t make changes on how they’re reimbursing us, our reimbursement would be down next year. That’s a big line-item for us.”

Putting fewer students in a lunch period would cause some problems. Stewart said adding a fourth lunch period at Warren Area Elementary Center would mean some students could still be eating at 2 p.m.

There were two surprise announcements with regard to athletics last week – Gov. Tom Wolf recommended that youth sports not be held before Jan. 1, and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) pushed back the start of high school athletics by two weeks.

“That was a little bit of a debacle last week,” Stewart said. “PIAA right now is in a holding pattern.”

“We are allowed to continue to practice… the non-mandatory practices,” she said. “We’re handling marching band the same way.”

“We don’t have much information other than that right now,” she said.

While marching band is still on, other music options may not be.

“The jury is still out on chorus and band inside,” Stewart said. “The last direction we had from PMEA was in June.”

“If you can further your distance and wear masks and sing… go to the auditorium… wear a face covering,” she said. “Band instruments… had bell coverings and had different things for the flutes and piccolos. They’re trying to get widgets on them for the aerosol.”

Stewart said the primary concern is opening school. If music options have to be restricted for a while, that can be worked out. “I just want to get kids to school and get school opened up,” she said. “Let’s not be singing, let’s not be doing those things right out of the gate.”

Masks are still a topic of concern among parents, Stewart said.

Director of Pupil Services Dr. Patty Hawley addressed the concerns.

The initial direction from the Department of Health was, “You have to wear masks when leaving your home,” Hawley said. “The nice thing about the face covering – not only a face mask, it includes a face shield.”

She said there shouldn’t be many cases where students will be medically unable to wear any sort of face shield. “Our position is that we know our children,” Hawley said. “We will be able to accommodate them.”

For students who do not wear masks or shields, “The schools can discipline,” she said. “The schools can ask for medical documentation” in cases where a family claims a medical exemption.

The district has a supply of about 100,000 disposable masks for students and staff who forget them.