July 09, 2020

Dear Families,

Thank you for the incredible response to our family survey regarding returning to school in August!  We had over 450 families respond to this survey.  Based on the survey response, a majority of our families are anxious for a return to full time face-to-face instruction.  However, the survey also showed that many families remain concerned about the health and safety of their children and with the impact of regulations or safety measures on learning in our schools.

We are currently working to develop a Health and Safety Plan as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to prepare for our return to school in August.  We know that you all have many questions about back to school plans.   As you are aware, the guidance for schools is changing every day.  While we anticipate releasing our plan after it is reviewed and approved by our Board of Education on July 27th, we also anticipate being required to revise this plan throughout the fall.

In developing this plan, we have been reviewing information from many sources including; family survey information, information from staff surveys, guidance from the PA Department of Education, the PA Department of Health, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  We do anticipate additional guidance from the CDC to be released next week.

Our plan is currently being developed based upon a total reopening for all students and staff.  The plan must be submitted to the state and will outline the steps we are taking for a safe return under the green phase. The plan will also outline additional measures we may need to enact should we enter a yellow phase.

As you may be aware, Penn Cambria School District currently provides a full-time cyber option for students in grades 6-12 through the PC Cyber Academy.  The PC Cyber Academy uses Edgenuity coursework with PA certified teachers and includes additional on-site support and tutoring from Penn Cambria faculty.  In addition, PC Cyber Academy students continue to work with our guidance counselors and our building principals as Penn Cambria students.  In addition, we are currently making plans to also offer a full-time PC Cyber Academy option for students in grades K-5 during this pandemic.   While we know that face-to-face learning is more effective for our younger learners, we also know that some of our families may need this alternative for the 2020-2021 school year.   We will be releasing more information and dates for virtual Q&A sessions for families in late July.    Interested families can contact building principals now to request information be shared when it is available.

We wish you all good health and hope that our students and families are finding ways to relax and recharge over the summer.  We are looking forward to welcoming our students back in August!

 

Sincerely,

William W. Marshall

Superintendent