At its virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 8th, Deputy Education Secretary Matthew Stem told the PA State Board of Education the PA Department of Education (PDE) is urging schools across the state to offer some form of in-person instruction in the fall. According to Deputy Stem, there is evidence that shows that students “benefit tremendously” from in-person classes. He recognized that putting together in-person instruction is challenging during a pandemic, but it is something that students will benefit from and schools are encouraged to create models whereby in-person instruction is present.

Deputy Stem also pointed to a recent PDE study on re-opening schools. That research showed that any re-opening of schools with an in-person component is likely to increase infections in children and staff, which is in line with other research that  has shown that part-time (e.g., one or two days per week) schedules involving smaller groups of students is probably most effective in minimizing the risk of coronavirus outbreaks. Deputy Stem also cautioned that schools must be prepared to move to a remote learning approach should such outbreaks occur in the school or community.

Deputy Stem also noted that PDE guidelines are not enforceable and schools will decide how they will re-open, including how instruction will be delivered, as they balance education and health considerations.

To view the PDE study on re-opening PA schools, click here.