Central Bucks Planning For In-Person, Online Options This Fall

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Central Bucks School District officials on Thursday provided an update on the status of the upcoming school year, saying they are planning to offer families the option of in-person instruction or online programming.

School buildings were closed abruptly in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf has since released guidance for schools to reopen. Part of that guidance mandates that schools have a safety plan in place that must be approved by the school board.

Kopicki said Central Bucks is "making a great deal of progress" with those plans.

He noted administrators and teachers are working alongside community members on the health and safety plan "with the intention of conducting both in-person and online instruction in the fall."

Kopicki said in the letter that the district's "primary focus is to ensure a safe, orderly transition back to school, while providing families with a choice to attend in-person or rigorous online programming."

Families can expect additional communication throughout the summer as more details become available, he noted.

Earlier this month, Bucks County health officials released school reopening guidelines, offering specific safety measures the county's public school districts should follow as they plan for a fall reopening.

In a three-page letter sent to administrators within the county's 13 public school districts, Bucks County Health Department Director David Damsker detailed specific safety measures.

The county is recommending that students are required to wear masks on buses and "possibly in hallways," but not in classrooms. Students and staff will be required to have a mask with them at all times in case it is needed

Additionally, a minimum distance of 3 feet spacing is recommended for classroom seating, and seats should be configured to maximize on social distancing, the county recommends.