Upper Bucks Today

Bensalem Township School District issued the following announcement.

Dear Bensalem Township School District Community:

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying time with your family. We have been working intensely on matters pertaining to reopening schools, including the development of the District’s Reopening Health and Safety Plan and our Continuity of Education Plans.  The District’s Reopening Health & Safety Plan will be considered at the July 28th Special Board Action Meeting. The Athletic Health and Safety Plan was approved by our Board in June.  

Our Plan will guide and support us in anticipation of welcoming students and staff back to school.  It focuses on health screenings, good hygiene practices, sanitation and disinfecting practices, proper ventilation and air flow, social distancing, facial coverings, transportation, food service, response for possible COVID-19 positive cases in school(s), and overall health and safety considerations for students and staff.  Plan provisions have been developed in collaboration with the Bucks County Department of Health and in consideration of guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. It defines how we will act when we are together in our schools. It does NOT commit us to any particular Continuity of Education Plan.

In the context of planning safety measures, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Health and Safety Plan document does ask us to choose and our Board to vote upon one of the following options on its form, as follows: 

1. Total reopening for all students/staff (some students/families opt for distance learning out of safety/health concerns);
2. Scaffolded reopening: Some students/grades are engaged in in-person learning, while others are distance learning;
3. Blended reopening that balances in-person learning and remote learning  (i.e. alternating days or weeks). 
4. Total remote learning for all students

For distance learning, we currently offer our own Bensalem Virtual Academy (a cyber program).  This year it will serve elementary and secondary students (K-12).  However, we are also working to develop a full remote option staffed by Bensalem teachers, which may be a better option for those who opt not to return to in-school instruction.  (Remote Option) 

At this time, the blended reopening, also known as a hybrid model, appears to be the most feasible option. It would reconnect students with teachers, schools, and each other. It would also provide the best in-person opportunity for COVID mitigation through decreased numbers of students in school at the same time, and more opportunity for our operations team to sanitize. We are proposing a hybrid framework for consideration at the July 28th Special Action Board Meeting,  as part of the Health and Safety Plan. In our proposal, students would be in school two days and remote three days per week.  Here is a link to that proposal. (Hybrid Program) 

Thank you for responding to the survey earlier this month. Your responses are integral as we continue to develop our plans, while keeping in mind the overall impact our schools have on the entire Bensalem community. We also appreciate you taking the time to submit your questions for our Virtual Question & Answer Forum with Dr. David Damsker, Director of Bucks County Department of Health.  We will be asking for more input from our community in the near future.  We appreciate your patience, understanding and continued support as we prepare for our students’ return to school.

Original source can be found here.