Clarion-Limestone to Remain in Remote Learning Until January 4; Winter Sports to Begin December 7

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published December 3, 2020 1:00 pm
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CLARION TWP., Pa. (EYT) – During Wednesday evening’s meeting, the Clarion-Limestone School Board voted to remain in remote learning mode until January 4.

The board also voted to permit winter sports to begin practices and other extracurricular groups to begin meeting on December 7.

The decisions were made after a lengthy discussion of the pros and cons of both remote learning and allowing for student activities.

Board members Cory Bish and Kathy Henry were the first to speak strongly in favor of keeping the district in remote learning mode due to the increases in COVID-19 cases in our local area and Tuesday’s announcement of Clarion Hospital reaching its ICU capacity.

Henry noted that she is particularly concerned about the coming weeks as some people in the community continue to gather for the holidays.

Board member Nathaniel Parker asked for Superintendent Amy Glasl’s recommendation, and Glasl obliged, stating her concerns that while it seems at the moment that children and adolescents most often have less severe symptoms from the virus, it is not yet known if there are long-term ramifications.

She went on to state her belief that the safest and simplest thing to do is to follow the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s recommendation to do remote instruction anytime the local area is in the substantial phase.

Parker asked about more recent recommendations from some healthcare leaders that students should be back in school, stating that everyone understands COVID-19 is “unpleasant,” but “lots of things in life are unpleasant.”

Glasl responded by noting that under new regulations if the district has two positive cases in any building, they will have to close for three days, which would leave them “ping-ponging” back and forth between in-person and remote learning considering the number of recent cases in the area.

Board member Gary Sproul asked how other area schools, including Clarion Area and Brookville, are continuing in-person instruction, and Glasl stated she did not know but could only say that Clarion-Limestone is focused on following all of the required protocols for health and safety.

Board member Dave Eggleton noted that young students need consistency, and bringing them back for in-person learning, then having to go right back to remote learning due to positive cases would not provide that consistency.

Eggleton finally made a motion to continue in remote learning mode until January 4 and to set a special/emergency meeting to review the situation before returning to in-person instruction. The motion passed in a 5-4 vote, and an emergency Zoom meeting was scheduled for December 29 at 1:00 p.m.

The decision on sports and extracurricular activities was the next major topic of discussion, with board members split on the issue.

Board member Cory Bish stated he did not understand how the district could consider having sports while not having in-person instruction, and board member Rebecca Allison responded that there is a large difference between having 150 students in a school and 15 students on a basketball court.

“I’m all for giving these kids something,” Allison said.

Following the discussion, Dave Eggleton made the motion to open up for extracurricular activities on December 7, and the motion passed in a 6-3 vote.

Discussion Regarding Phased Health & Safety Reopening Plan

Board member Nathaniel Parker noted the ad hoc committee for updating the school’s phased reopening plan has continued to meet and are moving forward with plans that will allow the school to return to five days per week of in-person learning when the school returns to the low phase.

Parker stressed that the return to five days per week of in-person learning would not take place during this quarter. The committee is working on a plan for the third quarter, and five days of in-person learning would only take place when the school is in the low phase.

According to Parker, efforts by the administration and teachers piloting synchronous learning have highlighted what is working and what is not working, and they are continuing to work together to find a solution that combines both synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Parker also noted that there are many options available for students and parents who are struggling. He said the board and administration are encouraging anyone who is having any difficulties to contact the teacher, and if that doesn’t resolve their issue, contact the administration.

The discussion then moved to the issue of the Chromebooks that the district has ordered but hasn’t received yet. Superintendent Amy Glasl noted that they have continued to communicate regularly with the vendor but haven’t received information on a timeline yet.

However, according to Management Information Systems Director Max Lowrie, there are still some devices available for those who need them, with Chromebooks, iPads, and hotspots all still available.

Glasl related a recent incident where a parent reached out to her, and the district was able to solve the issue the parent was having by providing a hotspot.

“If she hadn’t reached out, I wouldn’t know she needed that,” she noted, stating that parents who are having any issues — from issues with technology to issues with teachers — need to reach out to the school.

“If some teachers are not reaching out, or not answering emails, that’s not okay, and we are going to find out.”

Glasl went on to say that the administration is focused on working together on moving forward and improving remote learning to make sure every student is receiving the best education possible.

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