Bristol Township Polling Parents On School Return

BRISTOL, PA — Bristol Township's school district is asking parents for input on school-return plans, after its school board voted last week to continue online learning.

On Tuesday, the district posted an online survey for parents, asking how they'd prefer for their children to learn going forward. The district says that parents who want their children to continue learning from home when others return to in-person classes will be allowed to do so.

The district's board of directors voted last week to continue full-time remote learning, citing statistics that show coronavirus cases rising again in the area. The board, at the time, said it planned to reassess the situation on Nov. 16.

"Online learning has been challenging for students, parents, teachers and the entire BTSD community," Superintendent Melanie Gehrens wrote in a letter to the school community. "We applaud everyone for their resilience and perseverance this year. While we had hoped to welcome back all students more than anything, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Pennsylvania and Bristol Township."

Since last weekend, students and staff in both the Neshaminy School District and Bristol Township School District have been reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

New coronavirus cases jumped by about 45 percent in Bucks County last week, amid a fall surge that has seen record numbers of new cases in Pennsylvania and across the country.