Students in South Butler County School District will find a new way of attending classes in the fall if a plan approved Wednesday by the school board sticks.

The board voted 7-2 to approve the Phased School Reopening Health and Safety Plan, which Superintendent David Foley said will serve as a template that will likely change before the start of school.

To negate the potential effects of the coronavirus pandemic at the start of the 2020-21 school year, the plan divides students into two groups.

The first group would attend classes in their school buildings on Mondays and Tuesdays. The other group would attend Thursdays and Fridays, while the schools would be deep cleaned on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Students would have online instruction on the three days they are not in class.

“The two consecutive day approach will allow the district to minimize virus transmission to the entire school population,” according to the plan.

Unnecessary items and obstructions in the classrooms would be minimized to allow for desk spacing, and large-group spaces like the cafeteria, libraries, foyers and other roomy areas would be used to maintain social distancing between students and staff.

All students and staff will wear masks and are encouraged to bring their own to school. The district bought 3,500 masks, but cannot provide masks for every student each day.

Because requiring young students to wear a mask during the entire school day might present a challenge, shields are being purchased for those students and their teachers.

Students who refuse to wear masks would be sent home, according to the plan.

Parents who do not feel comfortable sending their children to school will have the option of pursuing at-home learning all five days per week.

“It's a tentative plan,” Foley said. “There is going to be a survey that goes out to families in the next few days.”

The board also approved the purchase of Chromebooks so all students will have one to use for at-home instruction.

Foley hopes the Chromebooks will be funded through Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stimulus Act money received by the district as well as Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency funding expected to become available.

A $35,000 purchase of online curriculum packages from Edgenuity/CompassLearning will ensure teachers are best able to offer distance learning.

Foley worked with several other educators within the district to put the plan together to have something to present to parents for comment.

The plan was also approved because students cannot be on campus for extracurricular activities until a health and safety plan has been approved by the school board, according to state Department of Education requirements.

“We are very concerned because a lot of sports teams have voluntary practices where kids come to campus for conditioning,” Foley said, adding that no decision has been made about holding district sporting events in the upcoming school year.

One problem with the plan that was pointed out by a parent on Wednesday involved young students enrolled in day care programs. The concern centered around how the district's plan will work for those days children are not reporting to school. The question was raised about the youngsters' ability to log on and complete assignments during those days when they would likely be enrolled in day care all day.

Another parent of a kindergartner said true face-to-face instruction by a teacher for that grade level will only amount to about four hours per week.

Foley said those issues will be worked on over the summer. He stressed that based on the number of coronavirus cases in late summer, the entire plan could change significantly.

“It's great that our parents are interested in and concerned about the learning component of it,” Foley said.

Foley will meet with the district's transportation company, W.L. Roenigk, to hash out busing students to school and the changes that could take place.

The plan encourages parents to drive their children to school if they can in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

School board member Debra Miller said although some parents who commented at the meeting think the school year should return to the normal five-day routine in 2020-21, she appreciates that the plan maintains social distancing and follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“There are a lot of lives that depend on us and then (coronavirus) goes home and the community is impacted,” Miller said.

Foley said the district is trying to do its best while following its philosophy of “the best education is in front of a teacher.”

He said the past three months have been challenging, and only the future will tell how the first day of school on Aug. 26 will be carried out.

“You listen and you try to be responsive,” Foley said. “Nobody has a real good answer right now.”