What each Lehigh Valley school district is getting from $2.2B in COVID funds for Pa. education
Updated Jan 15, 2021;
Pennsylvania K-12 school districts and charter schools are poised to receive a combined $2.2 billion in federal stimulus funds to support food programs, technology and other education services.
Gov. Tom Wolf announced the funding on Friday. It is tied to the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund passed by Congress last month.
“All schools have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I commend school communities for rising to the challenge to combat the toll it has taken,” the governor said in a statement. “This extra funding is critical to help schools meet the unique needs of educating students at this time while keeping school buildings safe when students return to the classroom.”
NORTHAMPTON, Pa. â The Northampton Area School District still plans to resume hybrid classes on Jan. 11 for students who choose that learning option amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to monitor the COVID situation over the winter break, Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said at Monday s school board meeting.
The school board of Northampton Area School District spoke with staff virtually at the Dec. 21 meeting.
On Dec. 14, the district temporarily switched to all virtual classes. On Jan. 11, Hopefully, we ll be back in person, Kovalchik said. Â
However, the expected return date is dependent upon how many of the district s 650 employees will be available. Kovalchik said that more than 100 staff members were unable to work on the last school day before the district went virtual, most because of issues related to COVID-19.
Bethlehem Area School District said Wednesday it will temporarily switch to remote learning starting next week.
District Superintendent Joseph Roy said the district will be moving to a fully remote learning schedule from December 14 to December 22. Students will then have their holiday break from December 23 to January 3, Roy said. Students will then resume remote learning from January 4 to January 8.
Roy said the district will remain on its remote learning schedule the week of January 4 in order to manage any surge in COVID-19 cases. Roy said the district will go back to its hybrid model on January 11.
Northampton Area School District is also temporarily switching to online learning starting next week, according to Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik.
Northampton Area School District will temporarily switch to online learning starting next week, according to Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik.
The district will go fully virtual from Monday, Dec. 14 until Monday, January 11, Kovalchik said in a Twitter post Wednesday.
Kovalchik said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and staffing issues factored into the decision to go temporarily virtual.
Parents and Students please check your email for an important update regarding the District moving to virtual classes for all studentâs starting Monday, December 14, 2020, until Monday, January 11, 2021. Joseph Kovalchik (@NASDschoolsSupt) December 9, 2020
Bethlehem Area School District also announced it will be switching to a remote learning model starting on Monday.
Liberty High School Biology teacher Tara Richards has been teaching online for years as an adjunct professor, but says remote and hybrid learning is completely different. Engagement is the biggest problem for us, making sure the students are engaged and that they re actively engaged on a daily basis, Â Richards said.
As a biology teacher, her lab stations that had been used for hands-on experiments sit empty. What had been a discipline that had been considered highly social, highly collaborative students have to do science in solitude and it s not a natural thing to do, Â Richards said.
She s also noticed some students are not keeping a regular schedule and struggling with time management.