BWSD's Reopening Delay And Update

Press release from the Baldwin-Whitehall School District:

Dec. 12, 2020

Dear Baldwin-Whitehall Families,

After sharing the details of our District plan to resume hybrid learning on Monday, December 14, 2020, during yesterday's Community Update live stream, representatives of our teaching staff requested the opportunity to discuss serious concerns they had about our plan in its current form, with particular emphasis on our intentions to resume hybrid learning on Monday.

Consequently, the Board of School Directors and I met this morning in executive session to discuss these concerns.

Throughout the pandemic the Board of School Directors and Administration have strived to make balanced decisions for the good of students, staff and the community. Implementation of our current plan requires the full support of our entire professional community. Therefore, we are forced to temporarily adjust course and continue with remote-only education through Wednesday, December 23, 2020 with plans intended to resume hybrid learning on Monday, January 4, 2021.

There are a few exceptions to our shift to full-remote learning:

• Highlander Wednesdays, which will continue in-person as they have all year;
• Steel Center for Career and Technical Education will continue to operate in a hybrid program with our round-trip transportation in effect between BHS and Steel Center. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from BHS.
• Any child that attended school in person 4 days per week based on an individualized learning plan will be able to resume that in-person instruction starting on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (more information to follow)

We know that any delay in our return to in-person education is frustrating for students, and also for parents who must continue to make alternate childcare considerations. However, we also recognize our faculty's concerns with regard to the risks of COVID-19, especially given our community's high rate of infection.

As I have made clear in past communications, I believe our District is doing an exemplary job of minimizing the contagion risks of this pandemic within our schools. Our decisions have been steered by data and experience as well as strict use of proper PPE and physical distancing measures according to guidance from the CDC, the PA Department of Education, and the Allegheny County Health Department.

Despite this, our District communities are still experiencing significantly high rates of infection and numbers are growing. Our faculty are understandably concerned about these numbers, and about the reliability of contract tracing within the community.

I strongly believe — as do the education experts from across the entire K–12 spectrum — that students learn best when they are in a physical classroom setting. Every day that we do not have in-person classes matters. It has always been and continues to be our universally shared goal to return to learning within our schools as soon as possible.

It's been said often that "we are all in this together," but this has never been truer than it is right now. These are not just comforting words; they are an urgent reminder of our shared responsibilities to one another as a community to keep each other safe. The ideal educational experience requires that we all work together with shared responsibility.

We will work to revise our reopening strategy intended to begin on January, 4, 2021 and we pledge to keep you informed as we do. In the meantime, please encourage your friends and family to do all you can to reduce COVID-19 transmission rates in our community.

Our students are depending on all of us to create an environment where they can get back to class safely.

Sincerely,

Dr. Randal A. Lutz

Superintendent of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District

Video Link of Message:

This press release was produced by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.