Brookville Superintendent: ‘Plan for the strong possibility that we will not return to the buildings this school year.’

Brookville Superintendent Erich May issued the following letter to parents on Friday, March 27, amid the closure of Pennsylvania schools due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

Dear parents and families,

We need to plan for the strong possibility that we will not return to the buildings this school year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is telling us we must choose between “planned instruction” or “enrichment activities.” Planned instruction is formal, required and graded. Enrichment activities are optional and not for credit.

Because some of our seniors need the additional grades to graduate, because some of our underclassmen need the fourth marking period to pass, and because we want to motivate our students to participate and do good work, we have decided to implement planned instruction in grades 3 through 12. Students in grades K to 2 will receive enrichment and review, and their activities will be optional.

Having decided to offer formal instruction to our students, we had to determine what that would look like. Many districts are putting courses online, but our recent survey data reveals that at least ten percent of our students lack dependable internet. Some of our teachers do too. Where the internet is lacking, some districts are putting paper packets in the mail. We consider that a good backup plan, but we are focused on another approach – project-based learning.

Projects provide relevance and rigor. Projects give students choice and exercise their creativity. So, next week, families with students in grades 3 through 11 will receive an instructional menu and be asked to choose two projects. Twelfth graders will be given a senior project.

Meanwhile, our teachers will be working in teams to design those directions and the accompanying materials. Our aim is to distribute all those materials the week of April 6 and have students in a position to start back to work on April 13. That is why we need to know ASAP which two projects your child will accomplish. Once we receive that info from you, we will send you the directions and instructional materials for the chosen projects.

We are asking families with students in grades 3 to 11 to respond as soon as they receive their instructional menus in the mail. It will be possible to respond even before that by consulting the menus posted on our web site as soon as Monday. The menus will also go out by email. As much as possible, we want to use digital means to distribute materials, so please make sure we have your current email.

Starting April 13, students in grades 3 to 12 will have four weeks to complete their projects. Teachers and aides will have temporary cell phones so they can be reached during daily office hours between 9:00 and 3:00 Monday through Friday from April 13 to May 8. Many teachers will use Zoom and Google Hangouts to meet with their students, but the district is providing burners to teachers and aides so that all students will be able to call their teachers and aides for support. Some projects will require the internet, but some do not.

This plan is a work in progress; more details will follow. Thank you for your patience as we plan to resume instruction in a different modality. Thanks also to our foodservice crew for feeding so many children this week, thanks to our legislature for their support, and thanks to our hospitals and health care workers for all their efforts.

Soon we will resume the important work of educating our students, and with your support and assistance, we will do it with memorable and meaningful projects.

Sincerely,

Erich May, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Governor Tom Wolf announced earlier this week that Pennsylvania schools, initially closed through March 27, would be closed through at least April 6.

Wolf said schools could be closed longer “if necessary to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed that as of 12:00 p.m., on Friday, March 27, 531 new Coronavirus cases have been reported, bringing the statewide total to 2,218.

While no cases have been confirmed in Jefferson County, the Clarion Hospital reported one confirmed case and one suspected case in Clarion County as of Friday afternoon. Indiana and Clearfield counties have reported 2 confirmed cases each and Armstrong County has reported one confirmed case.

Brookville Area School District is expected to post additional updates on the ongoing closures next week.