Community slams HASB decision

Social distancing won’t be possible in most classrooms, Gildea says

The Hollidaysburg Area School Board's 5-4 decision Wednesday to move to full in-person learning today -- despite state recommendations based on the county's high COVID-19 transmission rate -- has triggered a barrage of opposition.

"Where this came from when the numbers are what they are is mind-boggling," said Nicole Seiner, mother of a kindergartener and a second grader, both of whom she plans to hold out of school this week. "I have no idea what they are thinking."

"My concern is that any sort of plan that's approved that doesn't include (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Department of Health and Department of Education guidelines is not to be (endorsed)," said Dave Burwell, father of a boy at Frankstown Elementary School and the chief quality officer at UPMC Altoona and Bedford. "Especially in light of the (level of) coronavirus in the community."

The state departments of Education and Health recommend full remote learning for junior high and high school and full remote or hybrid learning for elementary schools when a county's community transmission is "substantial" -- an incidence rate of 100 or more new cases per 100,000 people in the past week or a test positivity rate of 10 percent or higher.

Blair County's incidence rate is 310 and its positivity rate is 12 percent, according to the DoH's most recent early warning dashboard.

Returning to full in-person learning isn't likely to go smoothly, according to the district superintendent.

Social distancing won't be possible "in most, if not all, of our classrooms nor in the cafeterias" -- although, like masking, it will be done "to the greatest extent feasible," wrote Superintendent Bob Gildea in a memo addressed on Thursday to parents and students.

The board's decision makes it "possible, even likely," that individual schools will need to pause in-person learning in favor of virtual classes, based on a DoH order that requires contact tracing and disinfection after a threshold is reached of people found to have active COVID-19 infections during any 14-day period, he added.

"We all will need to be prepared for abrupt but temporary changes to our instructional platform," he wrote, explaining that the infection threshold for all the district's buildings is four, except for Longer Elementary, where it's two.

The area's level of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is down a little from it's recent peak but is still high, Burwell said.

And while the incidence of COVID-19 in elementary school students may not be high, "it's not zero," Burwell said.

Moreover, there's a real risk for teachers, those who work in environmental services and bus drivers, if the guidelines aren't followed, Burwell said.

According to Hollidaysburg Area Education Association President Todd Russell, it's highly unlikely that teachers without preexisting conditions would not return when in-person instruction resumes today. Russell said teachers engaging in such protest would be subject to termination for insubordination.

When school boards contemplate a building project, they consult architectural and other construction experts, Burwell said.

But at last week's meeting, when the board was contemplating the return to full in-person learning, members didn't seem to take into consideration the recommendations of health care experts who spoke up, including himself, he said.

"I know the current situation is not ideal," Burwell said. "But we need to look at what's best for the kids and the community."

Seiner is a nurse anesthetist, and has been "staring (COVID-19) in the face since March," she said.

She fears that her kids could bring home an infection to her 68-year-old mother, who spends most of her time in their family house.

"I'm not willing to put her life and health at risk," Seiner said. "The board (however), seems willing."

Seiner isn't opposed to in-person learning altogether, even now, as her son, who has autism, has been going on designated days under conditions that are "safe and controlled," she said.

But having everyone back all at once where there's only 3 feet between desks in classrooms and the cafeteria -- where eating unmasked compounds the risk -- is different, she said.

There was a smattering of posts defending the board's decision on the school district's Facebook page.

"If you don't want your child going to school, then cyber school them," stated one poster.

"The cyber academy is awesome, and you can do the work at your own pace," stated another.

Joining the cyber school isn't necessarily a satisfactory option, said Kelly Hartman, whose 10th grade daughter is taking advanced placement music theory.

The girl is set to take an AP exam in the spring and plans to major in music education, but moving to cyber school wouldn't harmonize with those plans, according to Hartman.

Another poster who supports the board suggested home schooling, "if you don't like (the decision)."

"This pandemic is all in your head and fed by the media," the poster continued. "Let's get back to some kind of normal and quit putting these kids' education behind."

"Full face-to-face seems to be a knee-jerk response to people who are essentially coronavirus deniers," said Christian Wolfe, father of an 11th grader, an eighth grader and a sixth grader. "I'm on the science side."

"My daughter needs the structure," wrote a poster who supports the board and who can't be home when the child is doing school work. "She was an A (&) B student, and now she is failing two classes."

"No one likes this," Wolfe said of the situation.

He can understand the opposing arguments, he said.

But that doesn't mean throwing caution away is all right, he said.

Many parents have suggested livestreaming classes, but with everyone in school again using computers, there's not enough bandwidth, Gildea wrote.

Maybe the district could buy additional bandwidth temporarily to solve that problem, said Scott Pappal, who has children in fourth, seventh and 11th grades. He'd be willing to pay a reasonable share, if that option would work, he said.

Maybe the district can make video recordings of classes and play them back for students to watch later, Hartman said.

Board President Ron Sommer, one of four members who opposed with the recent decision, would have preferred returning to hybrid learning for two weeks, then reevaluating.

The majority seemed to feel that going halfway like that -- to hybrid learning, as a compromise -- "wasn't cutting it," he said.

"We are all going through a very stressful time," Gildea wrote. "(We) will do everything within our power, within the regulations placed upon us, to keep your children safe and to meet their academic and wellness needs."

Everyone wants what's best for the kids, Gildea added.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038. Mirror Staff Writer Andrew Mollenauer contributed to this story.