Central Bucks School District, the third largest in Pennsylvania, is reversing course on its initial plan to offer a hybrid reopening of some in-person and some virtual learning.
The superintendent on Monday announced the district serving more than 18,000 students in several towns surrounding Doylestown, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia, will open the new school year all-virtual.
The district decided that a hybrid reopening would not be possible, Superintendent John J. Kopicki said in a letter posted to the district's website.
"As our administrative staff interpreted the data and fulfilled our educational plan with faculty and staff assignments, it became quickly apparent that we do not have adequate staff to safely open school," Kopicki wrote.
The decision by Central Bucks came hours before Pennsylvania's top health and education officials released a new tier-system for counties that lays out guidelines for school reopenings.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for parents, teachers and students to figure out what they'll need to do for a September start to the 2020-2021 year. NBC10 has built a map of all the public school districts in the region. Some districts' plans are still being added, while some districts already listed on the map may change their plans in the days and weeks ahead. Please check back frequently for the most up-to-date plans.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese on July 29 announced a hybrid opening for its Catholic high schools across the Philadelphia region that includes some in-person schooling and some virtual schooling. The archdiocesan grammar schools will be fully in-person, the archdiocese said.
Public School Districts' Reopening Plans in the Philadelphia Region
Hundreds of school districts across southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware are scrambling to prepare for the new school year starting in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are plans for each district. This map is still being updated.
Data: NCES, School Districts
Credit: Sara Smith, Brian X. McCrone, Elizabeth Both, Nina Lin/NBC 10 Philadelphia
