The number of Butler Area School District students attending classes online has decreased, but the district is taking steps to improve its online teaching program.

The percentage of students taking online classes has fallen from more than 30% to 25%, Superintendent Brian White said at Monday's school board meeting.

“Students are coming back to school,” White said.

At the senior high school, 989 students, 65% of the enrollment, are taking traditional in-person classes; 74 students, or 5%, are in the flexible traditional model in which they have in-person classes two days per week and remote classes three days a week; 291, or 19.5%, are enrolled in cyber school; and 131, or 9%, are in the hybrid model in which they select the classes they have in-person and online.

At the intermediate high school, 119, or 73%, are taking traditional classes; 94, or 6%, are in the flexible traditional model; and 325, or 21%, are in cyber school. The hybrid model is not an option at the intermediate high school.

At the middle school, 119, or 77%, are taking traditional classes and 213, or 23%, are in cyber school.

In the elementary schools, 1,627, or 78%, are in traditional school and 459, or 22%, are in cyber school.

The flexible traditional and hybrid models are not available at the middle school or elementary schools.

Although the number of students taking classes online has decreased, the board hired Suzanne Robinson, who was the board secretary, as the newly created cyber support coordinator at a salary of $44,000 a year, and relocated cyber teachers in grades kindergarten through four to Broad Street Elementary School, which the district owns, but no longer uses as a school.

Julie Hopp, director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, said the move was made last week to give the teachers space to record lessons and consolidate technical support.

Robinson will be working at Broad Street, she said.

The district offered online learning options to parents to let them choose the model for their children due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two COVID-19 cases reported Sunday at the middle school were the first cases in the district. White said the cases were self reported by the individuals shortly before the state Department of Health informed the district about the cases. “Within 25 minutes, the Pennsylvania Department of Health contacted me,” White said.The school will remain open and regular cleaning will continue, he said.He said the cases were found through rapid tests and not the full COVID-19 test. The cases are being treated as positive tests, but were listed as probable cases in the state-issued report on county cases.The cases are proof that the district can't be complacent about safety measures and response procedures, White said.

In other business, the board approved a contract with Summit Township to build a playground at Summit Elementary School. The township obtained a grant for the project.Also, the board appointed Catherine Melder as the new board secretary.And the board approved an agreement with One2One Risk Solutions to offer parents the option to buy insurance policies for $20 for the Chromebooks their students were given by the district. The district will post a link on its website for parents to register.