Nearly 600 of the 6,100 students enrolled in the Butler Area School District have registered to take classes online or through a hybrid combination of online and in-person instruction when classes begin Sept. 1.

Superintendent Brian White told the school board Monday that 575 students in grades K-12 have registered for online or hybrid instruction, but the number could change before classes begin.

Developments with COVID-19 and changes in school guidance from the state could affect the number of students taking online classes, he said.

There is no deadline for students to select in-person, online or hybrid, but White said the district would prefer to know by at least a week before classes start.

Teachers are developing classes for online instruction with the goal of aligning classwork with the in-person instruction, said Julie Hopp, director of curriculum, instruction and professional development.

However, not all classes taught in-person will be available in the online program, she said.

Board member Jennifer Cummings said she is glad parents will have a choice in how their children will receive their education.

White said developments with COVID-19 and changes in school guidance from the state could also require the district to change its health and safety plan for operating schools, but the plan will require mask wearing and social distancing.

He said he will update the school opening plan during the first week in August, but it could change before classes begin.

The district has about half of the 500 hand sanitizing stations it ordered, White said.

Storage trailers will be placed at all six elementary schools to provide space to store unneeded furniture and other material, so more space is available for students, he said.

The board approved a five-year agreement with PlayOn Sports to livestream games played by district athletic teams.

White said state guidelines limit seating at games. Livestreaming will allow fans and scouts to watch the games, he said.

The district pays PlayOn $2,500 a year for the first three years of the contract. The district and PlayOn split revenue from subscriptions in the last two years of the contract.

Subscriptions will cost $10.99 a month or $69.99 for 12 months.