EF proposes new school calendar

By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com

In the midst of plans for the full reopening of schools this year, the Elizabeth Forward school board Wednesday got a first look at the tentative 2021-22 school calendar.
Superintendent Dr. Todd Keruskin said the proposed plan calls for teachers to begin the school year with in-service days starting Aug. 23 and students to have their first day of class on Aug. 26. The last day of school is tentatively set for June 6, 2022.
“I think it’s important for our teachers and our parents to know when our start date is,” Keruskin said, saying the selected dates give staff and families three weeks in August for vacations.
The district is entering Phase 4 of this year’s school reopening plan, which calls for high school students to return to in-person classes four days a week.
Students have next Monday off for Presidents Day, but high school students will join the middle school students in four-day per week in-person classes starting Tuesday. They will be taught remotely each Wednesday, including next week, with in-person classes Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“Any students who have been remote and want to return in-person, they will start on Feb. 22,” said Assistant Superintendent Keith Konyk. “We’re excited to get our kids back into our buildings.”
Konyk said alternative sites will be used for lunch, since the cafeteria is not large enough to accommodate all of the students while social distancing.
Konyk said the first phase of the return to school was having all students starting remotely or with the hybrid plan at the start of the year, then returning elementary students to buildings five-days a week, followed by bringing middle school students back four days a week.
Staff get vaccinated
During his report at the committee-of-the-whole meeting, Keruskin said 97 district staff members who fell into the 1A category for COVID-19 vaccinations received their injection Wednesday at a clinic sponsored by Monongahela Valley Hospital at the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department. Keruskin said those vaccinated included teachers, aides, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, maintenance staff and others. They will receive their second dose of the vaccine in March.
The district this week reported one case of COVID-19 at the high school and one case in a staff member at Greenock/Mount Vernon Elementary School. Contact tracing is underway.
“We continue to update our COVID Tracker. I’m just really proud of all the work the school nurses are doing,” Keruskin said.

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