Mars Area School District issued the following announcement.
Mars Area School District has begun the 2020-2021 School Year. Our schools have reopened in accordance with the District’s School Reopening Health & Safety Plan, which establishes three (3) educational options for students:
Traditional Instruction
Live Stream Interactive (LSI) Instruction
Mars Area Cyber Academy
These options have enabled our parents/guardians the ability to choose the best educational pathways for their child(ren). For more information regarding each option, click on the "Instructional Options" link in the right-hand column.
** UPDATE **
Schools to Reopen to Students Starting Monday, Jan. 11 (posted 01.06.21)
With the knowledge that Butler County remains in the “substantial” range in regards to positive COVID cases, Mars Area School District will return to traditional, in-person instruction for all students (K-12), effective Monday, Jan. 11.
Our Administrative Team has reviewed the current guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) as well as the number of positive COVID cases affecting our District’s schools, which have continued to remain relatively low. At this time, we believe that a return to traditional, in-person instruction is the best way to educate our students. For those parents/guardians and/or students who do not feel comfortable returning to school, our instructional model will continue to provide the option for students to participate via Live-Stream Interactive (LSI) Instruction.
With a renewed focus on safety as students return to school,
The District will be requiring that face coverings (masks or shields) be worn at all times within our schools and facilities; and,
In accordance with PDE and DOH recommendations, the District has established the minimum number of positive COVID cases that will require a temporary school closure based upon the enrollment at each building. Note: School closures are based upon a “rolling 14-day period,” which, as defined by PDE, begins with the date of the first positive case in each building.
Mars Area Centennial School (which is considered a “small school” — less than 500 students) would need to close for a minimum of three (3) days when 2-4 positive cases are reported or for a minimum of five (5) days with 5 or more positive cases, while the building undergoes a deep cleaning.
Mars Area Primary Center, Mars Area Elementary School and Mars Area Middle School (which are considered “medium schools” — 500-900 students) would need to close for a minimum of three (3) days when 4-6 positive cases are reported or for a minimum of five (5) days with 7 or more positive cases, while the building undergoes a deep cleaning.
Mars Area High School (which is considered a “large school” — more than 900 students) would need to close for a minimum of three (3) days when 6-10 positive cases are reported or for a minimum of five (5) days with 11 or more positive cases, while the building undergoes a deep cleaning.
A chart detailing the specific closure information is provided below.
In the event that a school is closed, all affected students will participate in lessons via LSI, with teachers facilitating instruction on a period-by-period basis. Building administrators, paraprofessionals and support staff members will be temporarily relocated to other schools, while our custodial crews clean the building. In addition, any scheduled athletics events and/or activities at that building will be cancelled or relocated, where possible.
Please note that, in addition to any building closures based on the total number of positive cases, individual school closures may be deemed necessary, if and when, required quarantines result in staffing shortages. Any building closure information will be communicated in a timely manner.
We ask that you also please note the following:
Elementary Students Switching to LSI — Parents/guardians of any students, who were previously participating in Traditional Instruction and will be switching to LSI Instruction when schools reopen on Monday, Jan. 11, are asked to notify your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible.
Technology — Any students who were provided with a District-issued device (iPad, Chromebook, Surface) for use during the school closure and who are returning to Traditional Instruction, must return the device, fully charged and with any accompanying accessories (chargers, cases, etc.), on Monday, Jan. 11.
Elementary (K-6) students will be called to a collection desk to return their District-issued device during the school day. Middle School (7-8) students will be asked to return their devices to the cart in their homeroom. High School (9-12) students may return their District-issued device to the Technology Help Desk. Note: Secondary students, who have paid the $100 Technology and completed all necessary paperwork, may continue to take their District-issue device home to be used for educational purposes, in accordance with District Policy 237 Electronic Devices & Personal Technology Resources.
Transportation — Parents/guardians of any students, who were previously participating in Traditional Instruction and will be switching to LSI Instruction when schools reopen on Monday, Jan. 11, are asked to notify the District’s Transportation Office at jroth@marsk12.org. Please include your child(ren)’s name(s), grade level(s) and address.
Also, as a reminder, please note that face coverings (masks or shields) are required to be worn at all times while riding the school bus.
Food Service — Mars Area School District will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch to all children, up to and including age 18, through the remainder of the 2020-2021 School Year. Parents of Live-Stream Interactive (LSI) and Mars Area Cyber Academy students may arrange for meal pick-up by contacting Bridget Buyna, Food Service Director, at bbuyna@marsk12.org.
Athletics/Activities — In the event of a school closure, any athletics events and/or activities that are scheduled at that building will be cancelled or relocated, where possible.
As a District, we are excited to welcome our students back to school and remain committed to doing so as safely as possible. We encourage all of our families to continue to follow all COVID safety protocols including washing and/or sanitizing hands, maintaining social distancing, and wearing a face covering (mask or shield), whenever possible.
We appreciate your patience and support as our District is continuing to navigate through this pandemic. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Gross, Superintendent
Mars Area School District
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up