More In-Person Time at the High School; Next School Year May Begin Before Labor Day

When the new semester starts on January 25, students at Strath Haven High School opting for in-person instruction will be in school buildings twice as often. The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board voted unanimously to revise the hybrid schedule at the high school to include four half-days of in-person school each week during the third marking period. The plan will be reevaluated before the start of the final marking period. Families will need to commit to either the hybrid model or the Online Academy for the duration of the third marking period.

Strath Haven Principal Greg Hilden

Families frustrated with the current amount of in-person instructional time have repeatedly communicated their concerns to high school principal Greg Hilden and members of the board. At the board meeting on December 14, Hilden presented three possible plans for increasing in-person instructional time, two of which would have had students in school for two full days each week. 

After the December meeting, Hilden surveyed families and students. The survey asked them to choose among four options, including keeping the current schedule. While no single option received a significant majority of support among responding families, Hilden reported some consistent themes. Principal among these were the desires for more time in school buildings and for consistency.

Hilden said that students want “to get up every day, to have to be in school every day, to have the routine that feels most normal.”

Under the new schedule, students will attend in-person school two mornings and two afternoons each week. On both afternoon in-school days, they can attend the optional fifth block in person (whereas now they are limited to once weekly). Activities like music ensembles, extra-curricular clubs, and help sessions with teachers occur in fifth block. 

Hilden reported that the full-day options he evaluated proved undesirable because of insurmountable scheduling problems for students in the vocational-technical program and increased time on Zoom for students in the Online Academy.

Starting in the second semester, the high school also will require students to keep their cameras on during remote instruction. 

Board Member Concerns

Although they ultimately voted to approve the four-day schedule, board members raised several concerns. Jennifer Lentz wondered how this schedule would address widespread lack of student motivation. This “is something we really need to see a shift in,” she said.

Hilden said he believed that in-person school four days a week would significantly boost students’ social and emotional well-being. “The social/emotional piece really impacts their ability to perform academically,” he said.

Board president David Grande noted that the new schedule will mean students in the hybrid model will have only half their classes on Zoom. Not being online all day “could have some benefits in terms of people’s ability to engage,” he said.

Board member Chapin Cimino noted that the family survey reveals that a slight majority of families — 27.3% of the 706 responses — prefer the current schedule. 42.7% of 234 students who answered the survey also chose that option. Given those numbers, Cimino wondered whether the schedule should remain as is.

Hilden said that the change would be, in part, a stepping stone to returning all students to school buildings. He expressed hope that will happen before the end of the year. 

He noted that many teachers, as well, prefer the status quo. “There was a great deal of consideration given to keeping the current schedule,” he said. But the well-being of students, and the anticipated transition back to full-time in-person school, tipped the scales in favor of change. He said staff recognize the need to transition toward a new model.

“There really is no perfect schedule,” Hilden said. “Different people have different needs.”

Board member Kelly Wachtman noted that some families are asking for a return to full-time school now. Hilden reminded the board that the district’s options are restricted by the Chester County Health Department’s mandate of 6 feet of distance between desks. “That prohibits us from having more than a certain number of students in a classroom at a given time,” he said.

2021-22 Calendar 

Ferg Abbott, director of human resources and operations, opened his presentation of the proposed 2021-22 calendar by noting that it “is based on a non-cohort, non-hybrid, non-COVID, non-asynchronous model. That means everybody’s back in full time.”

He also affirmed that the district hopes to transition away from the cohort model at some point this school year, likely starting with the youngest students.

The first student day on the proposed 2021-22 calendar is Monday, August 30, a week before Labor Day. Abbot said this departure from past practice would prevent the school year from running into the second half of June. He suggested that students learn better earlier in the year and noted that some other school districts start before Labor Day.

Winter break would run from Thursday, December 23, through Friday, December 31. Spring break would be the week of April 11-15. The last student day would be a half day on Friday, June 10. (Graduation dates remain to be determined.)

Abbott said that Tuesday, November 2 — Election Day — would be an asynchronous day, meaning that students would learn at home while teachers had in-service training. He said that this was necessary to prevent ending the school year on a Monday, noting that getting students to school for a final Monday was “very challenging.”

Lentz said that, while she understood the rationale for the proposed treatment of November 2, the word “asynchronous” made her “a little bit naturally panicked.” Suggesting that many view this year’s asynchronous Wednesdays as “a day when parents are really teaching their kids,” she expressed concern about setting a precedent for continuing asynchronous days in the future.

Abbott said another option would be to begin winter break a day later, on Friday, December 24.

The board will vote on the calendar at its next meeting, on Monday, January 25.

Superintendent Search

Grande announced that a survey has been sent to district families asking for their input on the qualities they would like to see in a new superintendent. Current superintendent Lisa Palmer announced her retirement last month. Grande said all community members are welcome to fill out the survey, available on the district website under “District News.”

The district is also sponsoring two online community forums, on January 20 at 7 p.m. (sign up here) and January 22 at 10 a.m. (sign up here).

Superintendent Lisa Palmer did not attend the meeting, citing illness.

The next board meeting will be Monday, January 25, at 7 p.m. To watch it live or afterwards, go to WSSD’s YouTube Channel.