Pennsbury: No Day Care Happening At Schools

FALLSINGTON, PA — Pennsbury School District is shooting down claims that daycare will be offered in the district's school buildings, even as students are being asked to learn from home due to the coronavirus.

On Thursday, Pennsbury said that KidsCare, a vendor that provides after-school care in the district, had sent out what it called a "misleading community survey" that suggested full-time daycare services would be offered in Pennsbury school buildings while the schools are otherwise closed.

The survey was shared widely in online community groups in and around the Pennsbury district — mostly by parents and others angry that Pennsbury is considering delaying in-person schooling through January.

"This is to inform the community that at this time, such services are not approved by either the administration or the school board," Pennsbury said in a written statement. "While we recognize the potential hardship that school closure presents for families in need of child care, and we are committed to working with our partners to support their efforts to provide such services, no decisions have been made at this time."

KidsCare on Thursday also released a statement saying the survey had been misinterpreted.

"Please note that our recent survey of Monday, Aug. 10, was meant to collect information on the estimated number of students who might be interested in all-day child care in the month of September so that we could then determine the level of staffing that we would have to provide," the statement said.

"We apologize for any confusion we may have created. At this time no services are planned in Pennsbury school buildings during the school closure period."

Pennsbury's school board is expected to vote Aug. 20 on the new plan, which would delay in-person school through at least Jan. 29. A week earlier, the board had approved a plan that would have brought most students back to school as early as October.

The 2020-21 school year in Pennsbury begins Sept. 8.