PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia students will return to full-time, in-person instruction this fall, the School District of Philadelphia announced Wednesday.
School officials are expecting to move full steam ahead toward in-person learning, assuming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drops its 3-foot social distancing requirement for classrooms — a move Superintendent William Hite anticipates.
The teachers and principals unions attended Hite’s announcement at Spring Garden Elementary School, and union leaders, like Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan, say they are on board with the decision.
Jordan, though, wants to be able to reassess the district’s aging buildings to ensure they are safe.
“We will need to reassess each building if the CDC guidelines change,” he added.
Related
Mayor Jim Kenney, who also attended the announcement, is optimistic about the return to classrooms.
“Together, we made it through,” he said. “In the fall, district students will finally be able to go to schools five days a week. The full reopening of schools is a day we’ve been waiting for.”
Kenney noted plans are still ongoing to vaccinate children 12 and older in the city. Hite said COVID-19 vaccinations will not be a prerequisite for students.
Related
Even with the return to in-person learning, Hite said all students will continue to be issued Chromebooks. A virtual backup option is also being developed for students who need to stay all-virtual.
“There are some families for whom a return to in-person learning would pose a significant challenge,” Hite said. “The district is exploring a 100% digital option for these families.”
Those digital classes would be taught by teachers who work exclusively online, not the current hybrid system where teachers are doing double-duty, which Hite called “unsustainable.”