BVA moving forward with hybrid return for students

By Christine Haines

chaines@yourmvi.com

Another day, another new set of guidelines from the state regarding education. 

The latest changes were addressed Monday by the Belle Vernon Area School District, which is moving forward with its hybrid education plan calling for a combination of in-person and virtual classes starting Aug. 31.

The district will proceed with that plan, even though part of it is located in a county considered to have a high positivity rate for COVID-19. State guidelines suggest that when a district crosses county lines, as Belle Vernon does with Fayette and Westmoreland, the guidelines be followed for the county with the more restrictive status. In Belle Vernon’s case, that would be Fayette, where new cases have pushed the county into a higher category.

Several board members pointed out Monday that the majority of the new cases are either inmates or staff members at the Fayette County Prison or at the courthouse complex, neither of which has a connection to the school district.

A change that the district doesn’t have an option on is the wearing of either masks or face shields in the classrooms throughout the day. The health and safety plan the district previously adopted permitted students to remove their masks while in their seats as long as they were 6 feet apart and facing the same direction.

“As of 3:30 this afternoon the state issued the directive for shields or face masks to be worn at all times in the classrooms,” said board President Joe Grata. “We thought with social distancing we would be able to go without masks.”

One parent asked if students would be able to return to school five days a week since they’d all be wearing masks, but that isn’t possible at this time, according to district Superintendent Dr. Michele Dowell.

“There’s a significant rise in Fayette County, so I don’t think that’s a good choice and with the cafeteria, we could not keep them 6 feet apart,” Dowell said of the students.

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