Students will not step foot in their classrooms until next school year and will finish this one virtually — and literally — from home following Gov. Tom Wolf's order issued Thursday.

“Schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, but that doesn't mean learning is stopping in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said Thursday morning.

The order closes all public school districts in the state. Additionally, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced it too will close its Catholic schools in accordance with Wolf's decision.

The decision means local teachers like Heather Baptiste will finish the year educating their students remotely.

The Moniteau School District teacher held Google Meet sessions Thursday where she chatted with students and parents individually. To her, the personal online connection felt much better than recording lessons and sending them to students.

Baptiste has sensed and heard from parents that her kindergartners miss interacting with her. They also miss mingling with each other.

“I do think it will be awkward for them,” Baptiste said of students returning to the classroom next fall. “I think socially and emotionally you'll see a lot of regression, especially at younger ages.”

Wolf said parents, teachers, school staff and volunteers all stepped up efforts to continue helping children grow and learn from home.

“We all know Pennsylvania's schools are about more than academics,” Wolf said.

Missing meaningful, personal connections

Michele Gaillot, a mother of four from Freeport, agrees. Her oldest is a senior in Freeport Area School District. Her youngest is 5 and attends pre-school in the district.

Gaillot raised concerns over the impact of such isolation on her youngest child.

“She's not getting that socialization,” Gaillot said. “She's able to socialize with her brother and sister, but they're a lot older.”

Gaillot said for her older children, working remotely has been fairly easy, but for the 5-year-old, there are gaps in her education that can't be supplemented over the internet.

“We'll make it work, and I know they'll be safe,” Gaillot said. “That was my biggest concern was how to keep my children safe.”

On top of her personal experience as a parent, Gaillot also raised professional concerns regarding the longterm implications of social distancing on children with mental health conditions.

Gaillot works from home as a family mental health therapist with Family Counseling Center. She said there are some children who have less support at home or who need help with their mental health. She fears these children are struggling as they feel forced into solitude.

“I check in with them daily,” Gaillot said. “I'm having them work on simple goals.”

Unfortunately, Gaillot explains, many of the children she works with are staying in their rooms because the opportunity to interact with others has been taken away. In such cases, she asks and coaxes them to leave their room, or eat at the table or even just sit on the porch for five minutes.

Although such tasks may seem routine for most, she points out how for someone with depression or anxiety, they can present large obstacles.

Missing traditional school experiences

Wolf said districts are doing their best with what they have at this time, even if it lacks some parts of the traditional daily school experience.

Brian White, superintendent of Butler Area School District, stresses that remote learning cannot replace the intangibles going into interactions that transpire throughout a school day, week or year. He said having something like this happen at the end of the year is especially hard.

“For me, for every teacher and principal I know, we got into education because we like seeing them grow,” he said. “The springtime is the culmination of that.”

David Pelaia has two children who attend Mars Area High School. His daughter, Bella, graduates this spring, but he still has not heard if she will walk in a ceremony.

Even though he and his wife, who is a nurse, anticipated the outcome, she still hoped for things to turn out differently. Pelaia said his family talks openly about what this means, especially for Bella, who is missing out on senior traditions like prom and graduation.

“I try to teach my kids, let's look forward, let's not look backward,” he said.

Pelaia hopes the district will consider conducting a ceremony later, after the coronavirus has run its course.

From classrooms to digital and back again

For the time being, Pelaia's girls are focused on their schoolwork. The proud dad said both have shown great self-discipline thus far, and he expects them to do well finishing out the year online.

“I think for them, it wasn't a hard transition,” he said. “I'm not sure if it works for everyone. I think you have to have the support of your family or motivated individuals.”

Ian Babb, a music teacher from Knoch High School, said music has been a strange subject to convey across a digital platform, but he is figuring things out.

He said students will have some freedom without the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, which was suspended this year. He said it allows them to focus on the skills they need.

“It's initially a challenge,” he said. “It's been harder and more tireless to work with our students online than being in front of a classroom.”

While Wolf made certain students will not return to school, there were many things left unsaid.

White said he doesn't know what next fall will look like, but the staff at the district is committed to adapting to students as they return. He also said remote learning may not be a long-term change, but it will be more imbedded than it ever has before.

“I think we're all going to have to reset what normal looks like,” White said. “It's hard to make all of this instruction digital and then turn it back into what it was.”