Radnor MS, HS In Virtual Class Next Week Due To Staffing Squeeze

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Radnor Township School District is keeping middle and high school students home the week after Thanksgiving, and not due to COVID-19 spikes. Quarantines resulting from community spread in the township are creating a staffing squeeze in schools.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ken Batchelor notified parents over the weekend that their secondary school students would remain at home, in all-virtual learning for the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 4, and will return to hyrbid instruction on Monday, Dec. 7. Meanwhile elementary students in the district will continue in their present hybrid instruction.

"Our staff continue to do extraordinary work each day, but as a result of high community spread and circumstances beyond anyone's control, we were unable to fully staff our buildings at RMS and RHS this past week," Batchelor explained.

"We had over 20 new quarantines this week that resulted in more than 10 classrooms with no substitutes available," he said. "So, it turns out navigating a global pandemic doesn't get any easier over time for any of us!" Batchelor wrote in his Sunday announcement of the instruction adjustment.

RTSD has been open for eight weeks in hybrid instruction. The district's contact tracing, in coordination with Chester County Health Department, suggests that positive cases are not being transmitted within district school buildings, Batchelor said.

Rather, exposures outside of school, which require two week quarantines, are significantly impacting the ability to staff the districts classrooms and facilities.

"This is not our staff's fault," Batchelor said. "It is the result of high community spread. Many of us assumed school would be the center of community spread; ironically, as of now, it appears life outside of school is resulting in greater spread at this point."

RTSD makes decisions about its learning phases based on three critical criteria:

• Our experience operating in hybrid for the past eight weeks. We will continue to monitor our positive cases and rates of transmission.
• Rates of community spread and guidance from the Chester County Health Department.
• Our ability to staff our buildings and classrooms.

"Based on the first criteria, our schools should remain open in hybrid. The second criteria gives us pause right now; however, the Chester County Health Department still recommends we keep schools open," Batchelor said on Sunday.

He added, "Unfortunately, the third criteria requires us to move to virtual for one week at just Radnor Middle School and Radnor High School, as we wait for the most recent round of quarantines to conclude."

The district said it is hopeful that the all-virtual learning for the secondary program will be limited to only one week, and the data supports that hope.

"We will continue to monitor the data and if there are any significant changes to any of the three critical criteria we will keep our community posted," said Batchelor. He added, "If we want to keep school open, we need to recommit ourselves to our protocols in school and outside of school. We cannot let our guard down. We have all worked so hard as a community to keep our schools open. Let's continue to mask at all times and stay home when we don’t feel well."