Good Afternoon Chartiers Valley Families,
On Wednesday afternoon, I was informed of a Facebook post shared by a neighboring community member. The post, albeit inaccurate, saddened and disheartened me and I am sure many of you.
Social media can be an excellent vehicle for collaboration, creativity, and communication; however, as we all know, it can also be a vehicle for bullying, rumors, and misleading information. Generally, I am not one to engage in giving any substance to such behavior, but given our current climate with the COVID-19 crisis, I feel it is especially important to clarify district expectations for our families and staff.
To address the misnomers within the post, I will speak to them individually.
- Governor Wolf mandates masks (and other PPE) for an indefinite period. The Chartiers Valley School District supports and expects that all students and staff follow that order. If a student or staff can not follow that order, conversations will be had regarding accommodations due to specific medical exclusion (e.g., 504 plans, IEP plans).
- All elementary classrooms will have a wall-mounted hand sanitizer, as orders for these products were placed earlier in the summer. The secondary schools have wall-mounted and portable hand sanitizers placed in strategic locations throughout the buildings. The amount of sanitizer available in secondary schools has been increased from the previous school year. The buildings will also have sanitizing stations equipped with approved products for students and staff to wipe down devices, desks, etc. However, I have full faith in our facilities employees, who are receiving COVID-specific training, to disinfect surfaces and spaces daily.
- Once students return to school, regardless of whether hybrid or entirely in-person, there will be times when they are not 6 feet from one another. The expectation that students will remain 6 feet apart at all times is unrealistic as students adapt to appropriate social distancing practices. However, we will space our classroom seating to the furthest extent possible. In most instances, the seated spacing is 5-6 feet apart. But yes, there may be times when space is not 6 feet, which is why the Governor’s order requiring the use of face coverings is so essential.
- Students will sit every other seat in the cafeteria, and the seating will be staggered, so students are not directly across from one another. The cafeteria plan for social distancing is a specific recommendation from the PA Department of Health and guidelines from the PA Department of Education.
Lastly, I am very proud of our teachers and how we continue to come together in times of crisis. It is inspiring to observe the hard work they have put in as they prepare for the start of the school year, which is the primary reason why Chartiers Valley does not need to delay the beginning of the school year, as many other districts have proposed.
The District has worked very hard to prepare for this upcoming school year. Understandably there are reservations, but safety and consideration are at the forefront of our minds.
While the state and CVSD School Board approved a Preliminary Reopening Plan on June 30, we continue to amend the Preliminary Plan to reflect up-to-date safety guidelines and orders from the State and County Health Departments and PA Department of Education. We look forward to presenting a more finalized Reopening Plan to the School Board on August 11. We will continue to make modifications to safety precautions throughout the school year as new ideas and guidelines become available.
Before choosing an outlet that may perseverate erroneous information, I implore you to contact me. I am more than happy to have a clarifying conversation!
Thank you for your time, and I apologize for the unfortunate and misleading information that may have caused undue stress and anxiety in such uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Johannah M. Vanatta, Ed.D.
Superintendent
