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Hopewell returns to five days of in-person instruction

Hopewell Area School District

Return to Five Days in 2020-21


Anticipated Timeline:

Students in grades K-6 return to classes, five days per week, beginning March 29. 

Students in grades 7-12 return to classes, five days per week, beginning April 6. 


Cyber Option:

Between March 9-March 19: Any parent wishing to enroll his or her child in cyber must contact Mr. Dean Nelson (grades 7-12) or Dr. Jacie Maslyk (grades K-6). Enrollment process will begin in the order in which the parent contact was made with Mr. Nelson or Dr. Maslyk.


Cyber Students returning to in-person instruction

Cyber students wishing to return to in-person instruction will need to communicate this to Dean Nelson (grades 7-12) or Dr. Jacie Maslyk (grades K-6) by March 19, or current cyber students will need to remain in cyber for the remainder of the school year.  


For students in isolation or quarantine due to COVID:

Daily assignments will be placed online on See-Saw (K-2), Google Classroom (3-8) or Schoology (9-12) at the end of each school day.  Teachers will be available during Office Hours to provide any assistance with assignments or instruction. 


Classrooms:

Students will be socially distanced to the maximum extent possible in each classroom.  In some settings, this may not be 6 feet.  Classrooms over 25 will be split or moved to an alternative location. Students and staff will be required to wear facial coverings, unless exempt.  Facial coverings must be worn at all times with facial covering breaks only provided when students are able to be socially distanced 6+ feet. Plexiglas partitions will be provided for classroom desks, as needed. 


Classes over 25 students:

  • High School: All classes with more than 25 students will be held in gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria, or alternative location so that social distancing can occur if rooms are not conducive to maximum social distancing.

  • Junior High: All classes with more than 25 students will be held in gymnasium, library, cafeteria, or alternative location so that social distancing can occur if rooms are not conducive to maximum social distancing.

  • Elementary: A Long-Term Sub will be hired for Independence’s 4th grade; students in current in-person 4th grade will have instruction provided by both their current teacher and the substitute (i.e. one teacher will teach math and science and the other teacher will teach ELA and Social Studies.). 

    • The following classrooms will be monitored and class size will be addressed if numbers are over 25. 

      • MR: 4th grade

      • Independence: Both 2nd grades

      • HE: Both 4th grades 


Student Arrival:

  • HS and JH: Arrival will continue to occur as it has been this school year; should appropriate social distancing not be able to continue, students will be able to move to designated classrooms or spaces prior to the school start time. 

  • Elementaries: Arrival will continue to occur as it has been; students will arrive and go directly to classrooms. 



End of Day Dismissal:

  • HS and JH: Dismissal at the HS and JH will be staggered to reduce the number of students in hallways, if necessary. 

  • Elementaries: Dismissal at the elementaries will occur 1-2 busses at a time and outside line-up will occur if it is safe and weather permitting. Dismissal for parent pick-ups will occur 5 minutes earlier  at the elementaries.  


Elementary Specific Information:

Specials in Elementary Classrooms:

Specials will continue to be held in classrooms unless other spaces or outside spaces are approved by the principal. 


Snacks in Elementary Classrooms:

Snacks will only be allowed when students can be socially distanced due to the requirement of facial coverings.  Students may have staggered snack times in the classroom or the teacher may arrange for outside opportunities for snacks (before or after recess) in a socially distanced setting. 


    Recess:

Recess will continue to be scheduled by classrooms and on a particular area of the school grounds.  Each classroom is assigned a time during the school day and a location.  


Cafeteria:

  • Any student eating at a table in the cafeteria or at a table in an alternate location will have a Plexiglas partition (20 wide x 14 deep x 24 high). Students will eat 6 feet from one another. 

  • All students will eat in the cafeteria unless otherwise specified below. 

  • All elementary students will have assigned cafeteria seats.

    • Margaret Ross: All students will eat in Cafeteria

    • Independence: A group of approximate 12 students will eat in the music room during Lunch A.

    • Hopewell Elementary: A group of approximately 11 students will eat in the library; an extra lunch period will be created for 4th grade students. 

      • An additional custodian will be utilized between the hours of 11:00AM-1:00PM

    • Junior High: All students will eat in the cafeteria with approximately 14-47 students eating in the Library and/or Gym A stage.

      • An additional custodian will be utilized between the hours of 11:00AM-1:00PM

    • Senior High: All students will eat in the cafeteria with 54-90 students eating in the main gym and/or auditorium lobby.


Cleaning and Disinfecting

  • Continued cleaning and disinfecting of classrooms in the evening will occur.

  • Continued cleaning and disinfecting of high touch points will continue to occur during the AM and PM on school days.

  • Staff has access to disinfecting supplies should the staff feel that additional cleaning is needed.

  • Disinfecting of Plexiglas partitions will occur daily.

  • Additional time for elementary evening cleaners will be allotted if needed.

  • Continued monthly application of Bactronix will occur in each building.

  • Continued application of Bactronix will occur when there is a positive COVID case.

  • Continued cleaning and disinfecting of a student’s instructional space will occur when a student is sent home from school due to COVID symptoms.



General Information and/or Expectations 


  1. Class sizes may be between 20-30 students.

    1. Performance based classes will not play/perform unless outside or in appropriate and safe locations.

    2. Special areas classes may be held outside, weather permitting and appropriate. 

  2. Social distancing will occur to the maximum extent possible.

  3. If social distancing is not possible, mask breaks will not be provided.

  4. Hallways will have more students in JH and HS. 

  5. Busses will have more students and many busses will have at least 2 students per seat.

  6. Bus stops may have more students and safety procedures may not be practiced or enforced.

  7. Elementary and JH lunch lines may be longer and time to eat may be lessened due to increased number of students in each lunch period. 

  8. When there is a positive COVID case, many students in nearby seats will be considered a close contact.  Currently, this rarely happens during the school day because the students are spread out beyond 6 feet.  This will entail greater contact tracing, parent phone calls, larger investigations, etc… for every positive case. 

  9. PDE/DOH school closure guidelines will continue to be followed.  The numbers of positive cases causing a school to close is the same for moderate and substantial rates of transmission. 

  10. For the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, all schools follow the current bell schedule with end of day office hours to support student learning.  Teachers would still be responsible for posting all in-class and assignments on appropriate platforms. 

  • High School: 7:30-2:00

  • Junior High: 7:45-2:30

  • Elementary: 9:00-3:00 



Once this plan is approved by the HASD Board of Directors, the District’s Health and Safety plan will be revised to reflect the changes included in this Five Day In-Person Return to School plan. 


Click HERE for PDF of 5 day return plan