What you need to know about Chambersburg School District reopening virtually

On Tuesday evening, Chambersburg Area School District's school board voted 7-2 to approve the district providing virtual instruction for the first nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year.

Despite the superintendent's recommendation, Ed Norcross, of Region 6, and Mark Schur, of Region 2, voted against the measure.

The phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan for the 2020-2021 school year includes virtual online-only school opening for all students beginning Monday, Aug. 24 (moved from Aug. 20). Over 1,300 community members joined the virtual meeting that was live-streamed on Youtube as the reopening plan was presented and discussed.

The nearly four-hour meeting covered a number of aspects critical to sending children back to school, such as scheduling, distribution of necessary materials, online learning systems, meal programs and more.

Building a virtual network

On May 5, the school board approved a plan to lease Chromebooks to every student in the district. However, there is concern that the district will be over 3,000 devices short for secondary students by the start of the year, according to Superintendent Dion Betts. 

"Hewlett-Packard (HP) has notified us that our last two shipments of the Chromebooks for secondary students, around 3,100 Chromebooks may not be in the district prior to the start of school," Betts said. "HP has not given us a definite date of arrival of the two shipments."

The original dates of arrival have since been retracted by HP due to manufacturing issues. Betts also mentioned that the order was unable to be canceled at this point. 

At the meeting, the CASD board approved an emergency authorization to purchase devices from alternative vendors.

This authorization will allow the district to purchase the remaining Chromebooks from confirmed vendors and they will be available for students before the start of school. 

Innovative measures have been included in devices in order to streamline the learning process for the district's youngest students.

"What's really cool for K-2 is that their login information will be a QR code on a lanyard where they can open it up, put it in front of the camera and it will automatically log them in," Betts said. 

Additionally, parents are asked to review a risk management insurance program that would cost $29 a year to cover damage to the device.

The school board is also considering options for providing internet access to all students across the district.

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The district is setting up local partnerships with organizations and churches to provide access to their networks for school children.

"The internet is an essential piece to our virtual learning," Betts said. "Everyone's child's success needs to be a community effort and we are requesting any and all residents, businesses and other organizations to open their wifi to help neighbors in order for all children to have access."

The board has also decided to open school wifi for surrounding areas, place hotspots in all fire departments and continue talks with Xfinity for reduced-cost internet options. A list of partners will be listed on CASD's website at a later date.

School Board President Dana Baker said that adjustments are being made to lesson plans in order to incorporate lessons that had been missed for students due to pandemic-related closures during the 2019-2020 school year.

A Learning Management System will be used this fall for instruction where students will learn on grade-level, standards-based material (not optional enrichment activities), according to a news release from the district.

Those learning systems include:

• Odysseyware (Grades K-5)
• Edgenuity (Grades 6-12)

Attendance will be taken for live virtual classes, and students are required to participate in live virtual instruction to receive grades, credit and promotion. They will also learn and complete interactive assignments using laptops and the learning management system independently. It is important that teachers and students develop relationships and a community of learners as they do when in-person.

For online instruction, there will be schedules for students to follow throughout the day.

Sample instructional days are available for parents/guardians to understand how a virtual day of learning will look for students. Those schedules can be viewed on the district's website at https://www.casdonline.org/Page/18064.

An emphasis on safety for students at home has also been part of reopening discussions.

The district is implementing a virtual social and emotional learning component into its existing learning management system Edgenuity. This program, called Purpose Prep, focuses on the social and emotional well-being of children and features grade-level appropriate content, according to Communications and Marketing Director Brian Miller.

"Teachers will continue to interact and engage with students using video meeting platforms daily," Miller said.

"Additionally, the district will continue to utilize all our resources to ensure students stay safe, including taking virtual attendance, scheduling virtual meetings with counselors, continuing state-mandated reporting of suspected abuse, and, when appropriate, involving the CASD police department and other local and state authorities."

Special education students will follow the virtual model as outlined. Teachers and administrators will be in touch with families to outline specifics as it relates to IEP goals.

School counseling and other supports will also continue to be available to children just as when school is in-person.

Extra and co-curriculars, including all sports, music, clubs and organizations will continue virtually as well. The district has created a CASD Return to Sports Plan, a state requirement, that must be followed for sports to continue. 

Brad Ocker, principal of Chambersburg Area Senior High School, said that virtual channels have been set up for student groups and are already being used to plan events - such as class elections and homecoming.

"Students are very excited to be engaged with areas of interest given the time away from others and, of course, school," Ocker said.

Providing meals for students

Discussions are still ongoing regarding meal programs for the first nine weeks, according to district spokesperson Tammy Stouffer. 

"We are exploring continuing a meal distribution program and are actively seeking approval to serve meals at alternative locations through the Department of Education," Stouffer said. 

Further information will be coming. However, Stouffer mentioned options of drive-through breakfasts and lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays where children could receive two days' worth of food for each meal, as well as potential for a meal delivery program if virtual instruction stretches past the first nine weeks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture might offer an additional waiver similar to the one received in March for free meals for all students, but that has not yet been confirmed, so the district can only provide meals for those students who express financial need.

"While the District cannot predict if or when USDA will grant any additional waivers, we are committed to utilizing the waivers granted to us thus far," Miller said.

"The district will provide meals to students during virtual learning at sites across Chambersburg. Any school-age child will be able to get a meal. At this point, we are only able to provide free or reduced meals to students who qualify or attend schools that already offer free/reduced meals.

"Children who do not qualify will need to pay for meals as they would during a normal school year. We will be communicating with families as soon as possible regarding our meal plan."

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Returning to the classroom?

It could be weeks, or months before students return to their actual classrooms. 

"It is our ultimate goal to return students back into our buildings when the data suggests it is safe to do so," Betts said. 

According to Stouffer, administrators will consider these things:

• 14-day rolling average of 50 cases or less per 1000 and sustained for two weeks or more.
• Availability and distribution capacity of a  vaccine paired with the 14-day rolling average.
• Data from districts who have returned to some form of in-person instruction either part-time or full-time in terms of the number of COVID cases among staff and students, as well as the number of staff and students quarantined during the time period.
• Number of CASD staff members required to quarantine due to exposure
• Determination by the state that Franklin County has moved out of one of the color designations
• Removal of the state mandatory mask requirements
• Lifting of the limitations on congregation of individuals
• Removal of social distancing requirements.

Administrators know that families and students face "real challenges" with any plan that does not send students back to school full-time, Betts said. 

"We are aware of these challenges and weighed them heavily in our decision to develop and implement a plan that places the health and safety of students and staff first," he said in the letter. 

Dates will be set to regularly evaluate and decide on the possibility of students returning for in-person instruction within the school year. Moving forward, regular school board meetings will include an update to the community as to the status of an in-person return to school.

"The decision to open virtually was not taken lightly and included countless hours of deliberation and careful planning," he wrote in the release. "Our goal remains to return students to classrooms as soon as our reopening criteria are met. Until that time, I am confident that our reopening plan provides teachers, staff, and students with the tools necessary to engage in robust instruction."

Can I just choose to go virtual all year?

The school district will still offer Chambersburg Area Virtual Education, a full-time cyber schooling program that allows them to remain part of the district community and access the same resources as other students, and to learn from the same teachers as their peers with the same curriculum.

Students in CAVE work toward a CASD diploma. Students make their own schedules and learn independently using the tools provided in CAVE and the learning management system for their grade level. Learn more about CAVE at casdonline.org/CAVE. 

The virtual program is available to students 24/7, but they must log in five days a week to move forward in earning a diploma.

"This flexibility allows students and their parents to schedule classes around their whole schedule because we recognize all family situations are unique," Betts said.

For up-to-date information regarding reopening, the full Health and Safety Plan, FAQs, and more, visit https://www.casdonline.org/Page/18021.

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the USA Today Network - Pennsylvania. Her coverage spans across the southcentral region of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.