Pittston Area discusses return of grades 5-12

YATESVILLE — Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth started Tuesday’s School Board meeting by praising the smooth return of kindergarten through grade 4 students to in-person classes Monday, then noted the plan is to bring remaining grades 5-12 back on Monday, April 12, though how many day students attend depends on how many opt to continue learning online.

“The amount of students dictate the amount of days we will have in-person instruction,” Booth said. “There will be a minimum of two (days). Our hope and plan is to be five days a week.”

The district is offering three options: In-person, Live online learning and asynchronous learning. Booth said the district is currently abiding by the recommendation that students and staff maintain six feet of distance between each other, though he noted there is talk among federal agencies of reducing the distance to three feet. Booth said masks are required at all times.

Currently the schedule plan calls for high school students to attend from 7:35 a.m. to 12:55 p.m., and the middle school to attend from 8:05 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. The cafeterias are not being used, with students getting a 15-minute snack break instead of a regular lunch break.

“That’s a big portion of why dismissal is as it is,” Booth said. The early dismissal also will give teachers and staff “ample opportunity” to plan. The district will still provide lunch and breakfast to every student.

During the meeting, the board approved a “limited and temporary” paid COVID-19 leave policy effectively providing up to 10 days of paid leave to eligible employees through June 30.