Pennsylvania Schools Will Open in the Fall

Pennsylvania Schools Will Open in the Fall

How and when are still up on the air

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday that there is “no question” that schools will be open for in-person learning this fall. What remains unclear is how and when that will happen.

Wolf held his first in-person news conference Friday since the coronavirus pandemic began back in March, and said that the state’s Department of Education will release guidelines about how the 2020-21 school year will look as this year’s winds to a close following months of virtual-only learning.

“We are going to be opening schools,” Wolf said. “Whether it’s August or September, that depends on the local school district.”

Questions remain; Will students have to wear masks to school? The governor responded with a direct answer, “No question.”

What will schools look like next year? Educators are not certain as they continue to battle with the idea of how next school year will look. According to CDC recommendations, desks are to be place six feet apart and all teachers should wear pasts, all of the time, and by students some of the time. It also may mean that students eat lunches in their individual classrooms, and the possibility of students splitting time between in school instruction and home schooling.

“You’ll probably have more online learning, and maybe less classroom learning,” Wolf said. “There might be fewer students in each classroom, on average, that kind of thing. So, it probably will look different, but the Department of Education is working on those guidelines and I think they should be out early next week."

Moving forward, the governor said there will be more capacity in our healthcare system, and the state will have the ability to do more testing. He also added, that returning to a stay at home order, and thus no in-person school, is not out of the question later this year if the conditions call for it.

“Thre’s an opt-out clause here that, if a comet strikes, you know, but we are doing everything we can to make sure schools are open on time in the fall,” Wolf said.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Campus Security Today.

Featured

  • 77% of Americans Support Gun Detection Technology in Schools, Workplaces, and Houses of Worship

    More than three-quarters of Americans (77.4%) believe gun detection technology should be deployed in schools, workplaces, and other public spaces, according to new survey data released recently. The national survey shows strong support for incorporating camera-based gun detection into existing video surveillance systems. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Beyond Containment: Redefining Cybersecurity and the Digital Campus at Washington College

    In the aftermath of a ransomware attack, Washington College stood at a crossroads — its legacy defined by centuries of academic excellence, but its digital infrastructure revealing the fragile underbelly of modern campus operations. Read Now

  • California School District Protects Campuses With Cloud-Managed Access Control

    Established in 1901 in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Mountain View Los Altos High School District (MVLA) serves 4,400 students across the cities of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills. It houses two award-winning high school campuses commonly ranked in the top 1 percent nationally; it also hosts a continuation high school, an adult education campus, an alternative academy for arts and technology, and a nontraditional high school program held at an innovation center. Read Now

Most   Popular