The first day at school for these students will come just short of one year since the last time Philadelphia public school students were in classrooms at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These schools being deemed safe to reopen follows weeks of mediation between the school district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Previous attempts to get children in pre-K through second graders back for hybrid learning resulted in a standoff between the district and teachers union about COVID-19 safety concerns and protocol, much of which focused on the district s plan to install window fans to improve ventilation in classrooms.
Students In 53 Philadelphia Public Schools Returning To Classrooms On March 8 After Year Of Remote Learning
CBS Philadelphia 3/1/2021 Syndicated Local – CBS Philly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) After nearly a year of remote learning, students in 53 Philadelphia public schools will return to classrooms on March 8. This is only for pre-k through second grade students on a hybrid learning plan.
#Breaking 53 Philadelphia public school’s will reopen for hybrid learning beginning Monday March 8 for pre-k to 2nd grade students. Other schools will reopen on a weekly basis. Latest #cbs3@cbs3talkphilly
A concrete plan is now in place to bring hundreds of Philadelphia School District students back into classrooms and their teacher will be back in school buildings as early as this Wednesday. An outside mediator helped the Philadelphia School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers reach an amicable solution, following weeks of tense negotiations.
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AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur Steinberg (center) joins Mayor Jim Kenney (left) and schools Superintendent William Hite to announce a plan for reopening some Philadelphia school buildings. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
Updated 3:39 p.m.
Philadelphia school officials and union leaders have reached a compromise that will allow some schools to reopen their buildings on March 8 roughly a year after the district last welcomed students into classrooms.
The deal, announced Monday, calls for pre-K through grade 2 students at 53 elementary schools to attend classes in-person twice a week, if they choose.
The School District of Philadelphia had planned to reopen 152 schools in February in its first phase of in-person learning. School officials and the union agreed that more schools will become eligible for in-person learning on a weekly, rolling basis until all pre-K to second-grade classes have returned. Announcements will be made each Monday.
Date announced for return of some Pre-K to 2nd grade Philadelphia students
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However, unlike previous return plans, not all of those students will return at once.
During a news conference on Monday, Mayor Jim Kenney announced that schools will be reviewed in batches for their readiness for the safe return of students and staff.
Kenney said 53 schools have been approved, and students whose families have selected the hybrid learning plan will return on Monday, March 8.
Teachers and staff in those schools will return on Wednesday, March 3.
The city said the goal is to have the return dates for all Pre-K to 2nd-grade hybrid learning students announced by March 22.