Survey: 80% of Highlands parents want kids back in school 4 days a week

Mar. 9—An overwhelming majority of parents surveyed by Highlands School District want their children to return to in-person classes four days a week.

Of nearly 1,600 responses to an online survey, 80% of parents and caregivers favored the switch to mostly in-person classes as covid rates decline in the community, according to Superintendent Monique Mawhinney.

"It's time we get our kids back into school," Mawhinney told board members. "I am confident that we can keep them safe while bringing them back to in-person learning."

The district's nine-member board received the survey results during a planning meeting Monday night. They're set to vote on the proposed scheduling change next week.

If approved, students could return to school for mostly in-person learning as soon as Monday, March 29, a few days before the start of spring break. Classes would be held on campus Monday through Thursday, leaving Friday as a remote day for all students and a chance for custodians to deep-clean buildings.

Mawhinney said the four-day proposal has the backing of all but one person on the 47-member Highlands School District Task Force for Reopening Schools.

The sole objector was Jenny Bosak, one of five parent representatives on the task force, which also includes district administrators, principals, nurses, teachers, custodians, school police and four of the district's board members.

Bosak said that she's against the proposal because district officials have admitted they will not be able to maintain 6 feet of distance between students, particularly when it comes to traveling on buses and eating lunch in the cafeteria.

"I think we all know that covid doesn't stop spreading just because we are eating a meal," Bosak said during Monday's public comment session via Zoom. "I want to go back five days a week; we all want to go back to school. But we have to do it safely. If we take steps backward, it's only going to create more problems."

Mawhinney said that "safety and security" remains her No. 1 priority.

Masks still required

"So, I think we need to still be very, very careful about masks. Masks are still required," Mawhinney said. "We have to try and maintain social distancing. However, as a task force, we realized that we are not going to be able to maintain 6 feet apart. We are looking at anywhere from 2 feet and up."

The district conducted the survey of parents on its website through Feb. 24.

Of those surveyed who did not favor the four-day week in school, 11% said they would prefer to remain in a hybrid model. The current schedule divides students into two groups, with each group spending two days a week at school buildings and meeting remotely three days a week.

Another 5% said they wanted all-virtual instruction using the Google classroom platform.

Parents and students still could choose to engage in fully remote learning, if requested.

Teachers to start getting vaccinated this week

The district learned that, later this week, 123 teachers and staff will get their covid-19 vaccine as part of 94,000 new Johnson & Johnson doses designated for educators by the Wolf administration.

Amid a still-limited supply of the vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf's plan has not yet prioritized most faculty at upper grade levels such as high schools.

Those getting vaccinated in the first round include teachers of students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and bus drivers or cafeteria workers who have direct contact with elementary school students.

The first tier also includes English language learner teachers and special education personnel working with students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

"We were able to get almost half of the people (scheduled) that chose to have it," Mawhinney said, noting some staff already received a vaccine from another provider and others have opted not to get one. "We should have everybody being able to be vaccinated who wanted a vaccine in the next round."

Highlands and the 41 other school districts in Allegheny County have been assigned nonnegotiable vaccine allotments. They were asked to have eligible staff schedule appointments through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit at the Waterfront shopping area in Homestead.

During the first semester of the 2020-21 school year, Highlands reported at least 30 positive cases of covid-19, most of which involved staff members, according to district officials. From Jan. 22 through Feb. 16, the district learned of another 22 cases among students and staff.

The district will continue to update Allegheny County health officials on case counts and "work with them to recommend any temporary closure," Mawhinney said.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, nlindstrom@triblive.com or via Twitter .