Abington Proposes No In-Person Instruction To Begin School Year

ABINGTON, PA — Abington School District officials are considering a fully virtual start to the year due to the coronavirus crisis, with a re-evaluation of the situation in November, after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The proposal, which is not yet final, will be discussed and then voted on during the Board of School Directors meeting next week on Aug. 11.

Assuming the proposal passes, Abington will become the latest of a growing number of Montgomery County school districts to move to a fully virtual model. Norristown, North Penn, and Upper Dublin all decided over the past few weeks, following extensive internal discussions, to begin the year fully online, with a reconsideration of things later in the school year.

Like those other districts, Abington had been considering a "hybrid" model, a mix of in-person and online instruction, but the safety risks were too significant. Abington cited both the continued presence of the virus in Montgomery County, as well as a potential staffing shortage, as reasons for the proposal.

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"While we very much wanted to be back with our students in person come September, we believe it is our responsibility as a school district to do our part in mitigating the spread of this virus," Superintendent Jeffrey Fecher said in a statement. "It is also the responsibility of administration to ensure the safety of students and staff on a daily basis. Not only does the virus pose a risk to these community members and our students, but also without having adequate staffing levels–either due to requests for leaves of absence, illnesses, or quarantines–we would not be able to safely operate our buildings."

In an outline of the proposal issued to the public on Monday evening, the school district said that the elementary schools would run similarly to normal school day, with attendance beginning at 8:50 a.m. Time will be built into the schedule for hands-on learning off screen. Instruction will be both sychronous and asychronous.

For Abington Junior and Senior High School students, the online model will offer a "modified block schedule." Attendance will be taken continually in a "warmup" exercise that begins each period.

All students in grades 4 through 12 will receive a Chromebook.

Meal service will be available for eligible families in grab and go style for both breakfast and lunch. Details on that are forthcoming.

The district acknowledged the challenge posed by child care issues, and noted that they are working with the Abington Educational Foundation, YMCA, and other community partners to offer assistance.

For more details on the plan, see here.