Seneca Valley School District Set To Vote On Return-To-School Plan
HARMONY, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Seneca Valley School District plans to finalize their return-to-school plan today and take a vote on it.
The plan is a mix between in-class and online learning.
Parents will receive an email from the district, and once approved it will also be made available on the district's website.
Parents will then have until July 29 to select the learning model they would like for their child for the new year.
It's a process happening in districts around the area as the countdown is on to the next school year.
For some districts, the classrooms will be open and the teachers there, but most are keeping the option open for parents to decide whether to keep a child at home or send them to school.
So, what should you keep in mind when making the decision?
Allegheny Health Network Child Psychiatrist Dr. Gary Swanson has some advice.
"There are benefits of going to school, being with other kids and a live teacher. That has to be weighed against any potential risk from coronavirus, as well as other factors -- a bus accident on the way to school, getting a cold or the flu, or something else. While you are in school, there are all kinds of risk we take every day, and parents have to balance that," Dr. Swanson said. "There is a significant benefit of going to school; you can learn from others, you can learn from your teacher, you get that live interaction which is missing with online learning. There's also activities that are better in groups or with hands-on activities and with little kids that's particularly important to them."
Dr. Swanson says there is nothing wrong with a mixture of in classroom and online learning for younger children as long as they get that in-person, in-classroom experience and all its benefits.
To view the Seneca Valley School District's website, click here.
