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The Altoona Area School Board voted 7-2 on Tuesday to transition all students to a hybrid model, with elementary students beginning Feb. 8 and secondary students on the 16th.
The hybrid model will break students into groups A and B, with A meeting in-person Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday, and B meeting Tuesday, Thursday and every other Friday.
Special education students will return full time and in-person Feb. 8, and all teachers will report on-site the same day.
All students will return full time and in-person after two weeks of the county positivity rate staying in the "low range."
Three local leaders spoke during the meeting: Altoona Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Hileman; Blair County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Taylor and Altoona physician, Zane Gates. They discussed vaccines and COVID-19 trends in the community, noting that the Blair County positivity rate is down to 7.9%.
Board members voting in favor were Sharon Bream, Frank Meloy, Mike Baker, Dave Francis, Eric Haugh, Kelly Irwin Adams and Ed Kreuz. Votes against were from Rick Hoover and Ron Johnston.
While it remains unclear when all teachers and faculty will be able to get the first round of vaccinations, employees who are veterans will likely be able to get their shots "right away," according to Hileman.
More than 20 people called in during the public comment part of the meeting prior to the board's vote, most of them urging the board to allow students to attend using either hybrid or in-person full time.
One mother bashed the board for its previous decision to remain virtual.
"This board is failing every student's future," she said.
Despite the vote to return in a hybrid format, the district is still offering a virtual option as well as Cyber Academy.
Mirror Staff Writer Andrew Mollenauer is at 814-946-7428.