Dear Young Scholars Families,
On August 6, 2020, the Administrative team presented the YSWPCS’ Reopening Plans to the YSWPCS Board of Trustees. Based on current circumstances and daily changes on the situation, YSWPCS Board made the decision to continue remote learning when school resumes. YSWPCS will provide a full remote learning program for all students (K-8) for the first 6 weeks. Young Scholars will continue to monitor the health and safety of our community. We are planning to transition to a Hybrid model on October 12th. Updates will be provided to families as we move forward through the year.
Our school remains prepared to transition to a full in-person return (as soon as conditions permit), but we are currently constrained by public health guidelines and mandates. We worked diligently throughout the summer to create a plan that prioritizes the health and safety of our students and staff. Just like most of the school districts, we have to revise our plans multiple times during the summer. In June we were making plans to welcome all our students back to the building, started the construction project to build extra rooms but with the changes of COVID-19 in our area, we have had to reconsider our plans. While a full in-person return/hybrid model is the preference for a large percentage of our YSWPCS families (as indicated in the survey data), there are several reasons that an in-person model is not feasible at this time. Allegheny County Health Department mandates 14 days of quarantine for all close contacts of a positive case, resulting in mass quarantines and significant disruption to in-person education. This would also be a significant disruption to families’ childcare/work schedule arrangements. We know any option other than in-person return to school causes serious childcare burdens for many families, but we are dedicated to transitioning to a full in-person return sooner and in a safer manner. By starting the school year with a remote option, we are being realistic and providing our families with as much notice as possible. Please know that as soon as the mandates and guidelines allow, we will increase the in-person option even to a full-time model, while allowing students to remain in the remote model full time.
Next Steps
- Week of August 10: Remote Learning Plan will be shared with families
- Week of August 17: Student schedules will be sent home
- Week of August 24: We will start distributing 1:1 technology devices and other materials
- Families of students with Individualized Learning Plans will be contacted by their teachers to discuss the Remote Learning Plans.
- In-person meetings with Kindergarten students and teachers. Online meetings for other grade levels.
- Parent training on the new Learning Management System and Online lessons.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process and thank you for your support to our staff and students.
John Demir
CEO
