Council Rock Eyes November Return To 5-Day In-Person Learning

NEWTOWN, PA — The Council Rock School District could return to full-time in-person learning by mid-November, Superintendent Robert Fraser said at a board meeting Thursday.

The board convened Thursday to discuss the possibility of allowing students to return to school for full-time instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic. A formal vote would take place during a special board meeting Oct. 22, during which the board would also consider adjusting its quarantine procedure.

About 74 percent of students are enrolled in the hybrid model, with 26 percent of students opting for only virtual learning, Fraser said. About 468 students have made the switch from hybrid to virtual, he added.

A narrow majority of board members supported the proposed switch to five-day learning, including Kristin Marcell, Joseph Hidalgo, Mark Byelich, Ed Salamon and Michael Thorwart.

"I hear from these families crying out for help, parents that are trying to balance their work and virtual learning while paying for additional tutors and babysitting, worrying about the mental health of their kids," Marcell said. "Stress is only mounting each day."

Hidalgo said he's heard similar complaints from parents and that some students "just need to be taught in person."

Some board members urged their colleagues to exercise caution before rushing to a full return. Denise Brooks recognized the desire to return to full-time instruction but feels that the decision "is absent of data."

"Bucks County has been solidly in the moderate category [for virus transmission], but we have never been low," Brooks said. "This is a metric by which we can measure...The safest and most realistic approach puts us in hybrid or virtual."

Since opening schools earlier this week, Council Rock has had one confirmed COVID-19 case at Goodnoe Elementary School, Fraser said. Meanwhile, four students at Central Bucks High School East have tested positive since Sept. 5, two of them student athletes.

If the school board approves five-day learning at its Oct. 22 meeting, the district could return to full-time in-person instruction as early as Nov. 16.