LMSD Approves 'Dual Hybrid' Plan To Get Students Back In School

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — The Lower Merion School District Board of Education Monday approved a proposal put forward by Superintendent Robert Copeland on how to get more students to in-person learning.

Copeland described the proposal as "dual hybrid" which amends the existing District Health and Safety Plan.

The plan to get students back into the buildings features two main aspects.

Elementary school students' schedule will be based on morning and afternoon cohorts for in-person instruction. As for middle school and high school students, cohorts will alternate full days of in-person instruction.

Copeland said the hybrid model is necessary because district buildings don't have the capacity for all students and staff to be in them at the same time while maintaining the recommended safe physical distance.

All students, except for Kindergarten and some special education and ELD students, will stay home on Fridays for a mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction.

"This will give staff time to engage in dual lesson planning, professional development and necessary meetings," Copeland said.

However, the plan still could change in the event of increased positivity and incidence rates and trends in the community

"Throughout this school year, it remains possible, if not likely, that we will move between fully remote and hybrid instruction multiple times," Copeland said.

The district's District Health and Safety Plan was also amended to require that all students and staff wear face masks, rather than face shields or gaiters, when in district buildings or vehicles.

When grades return to in-person instruction they will return to their schools' regular bell schedules, except for the elementary school afternoon group.

Afternoon elementary students' days will end 15 minutes later than in previous years to maximize in-person instructional time for each group and to allow enough time for transportation and for cleaning between the morning and afternoon groups.

The bell schedules for in-person instruction will be:

• Elementary — 9 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. OR 1 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
• Middle — 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
• High School — 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

District families will find out their students' group assignments later in the week, Copeland said.

Families will also get a survey on transportation usage and are asked to respond as quickly as possible so that the district's Transportation Department can take that information into consideration as it develop routes.

In the coming weeks, families will also get information from principals regarding information Zoom sessions (via Zoom) about the transition to hybrid in-person instruction.