In-Person Learning Resuming Dec 7 In Lower Merion School District

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — Students will be back in Lower Merion schools next week, according to the officials.

Lower Merion School District Superintendent Robert Copeland said in a letter to the community Wednesday the district will resume in-person learning on Monday., Dec. 7.

Copeland said students will once again be in the hybrid models that were in place before the district suspended in-person learning in mid November due to untimely contact tracing efforts, overwhelmed testing sites, and a rapid increase in positive cases among students and staff.

Starting Monday, Kindergarten students will attend five mornings or afternoons each week; first through fifth grades will attend Monday to Thursday mornings or afternoons each week, with asynchronous instruction on Fridays; and students in sixth through 12th grades will attend full days on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday with asynchronous instruction on Fridays.

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Special education students return to their specific schedule that was in place prior to the most recent closure.

Despite in-person learning resuming, Copeland said individual schools of the entire district could be forced to move to a fully remote model again.

Due to orders from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Copeland said schools may have to close with very short notice.

"If there are 2 new cases at Belmont Hills on Monday and 2 more new cases on Tuesday, we would be required to close Belmont Hills for three to seven days beginning Wednesday," Copeland said. "The closure window could be shortened or lengthened based on the completion of contact tracing, cleaning and other remediation measures."

Copeland said the school community should anticipate schedule changes.

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"It is our hope that we will be able to continue in-person instruction under our hybrid models until it is safe for all students and staff to return to in-person instruction full time," Copeland said in a letter to the community.