April 9, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Governor Wolf announced this morning that all Pennsylvania schools will remain closed for the remainder of the year. While I realize that this may be very difficult for many students, teachers, and parents to hear, keeping the health and safety of everyone has to be the focus of all decisions right now. This decision will not impact our plan of continuing to provide your children with their education in the current online format. In almost all cases, children will be promoted to the next grade just as they would have if this hadn’t occurred. We recognize that every family is dealing with different stressors and challenges during this time, and we are taking that into account as we move forward with our plans. Please know that we will continue to do everything possible to support our students and families.
The last day of school will be June 9, 2020, as planned. As I had mentioned in a previous letter, Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29 may still become instructional days, dependent upon any other adjustments we make to the school calendar.
Foodservice and mental health services will be made available for all families for the remainder of the school year.
We are looking carefully at the school calendar and considering creative ways that we can still recognize and celebrate our students’ accomplishments and milestones that normally occur in the spring. This includes Rise Up Jaguars Day, awards night, prom, and graduation. Obviously, safety and health will guide all of our decisions.
We are working on a letter outlining how the fourth quarter and final grades will be calculated. We are hoping that all students will continue to stay engaged and complete their assigned work, but also don’t want to penalize students for the hardship that this unfortunate situation may have placed on families. You can expect more information on this by next week.
I know this announcement is very disappointing for many; however, I am confident that when this is over we will be stronger and more resilient than we were before this pandemic occurred. Before you know it, our buildings will be open, and we will be together in person once again. Stay positive and stay healthy.
Dr. Michael Ghilani
Superintendent of Schools
