Is Returning to Five-Day Learning a Good Idea?

Pennridge’s quick decision to return to full five-day instruction has brought a lot of concern and confusion to students and parents. Opinions are very strong when it comes to Covid-19, and everyone has their own comfort level. Students were given the option to return to in-person learning or fully remote, but the option for hybrid has been removed, which is where most of the concern is coming from. Students have been learning this way all year, and a lot of them are not ready or comfortable with this change. Meeting with Superintendent Dr. Bolton, we learned a bit more about this sudden switch. 

“We have planned from the very beginning of the year that as soon as we feel it is safe to do so, that we would make plans to go back to full five days,” he stated when asked why he felt now was the right time. Dr. Bolton also shared that he has been in contact with different representatives from both the Bucks County and Pennsylvania Health Departments in order to ensure that they were making the right decision. They have studied the projections for the next months and the drops in cases, and they felt that there was enough of a decrease to return full time. In studies, they have found that there has been no direct correlation between five-day school and an increase in cases, which was another factor in this decision. He also feels that with the experience of already teaching remote students twice a week that the transition shouldn’t be too difficult for teachers to teach both every day. 

While the transition might not be hard on teachers, for students the lack of consistency over the past year has been incredibly challenging. 12th-grade student, Courtney Steiner, spoke about this saying, “I learned how to thrive in hybrid, but now going full time, I have to get used to a new schedule all over again.” She also mentioned her fear that some of her classes are already reaching maximum capacity, and how that could impact the safety of the students, considering that some students don’t currently follow the rules.

Nobody knows the right answer, but we feel that a slower transition to full-time learning could have been an easier way to test this out. By bringing in a larger group of students for three or even four days a week, and monitoring grades and the number of cases, many would feel more comfortable returning to full-time in-person learning. This would also create an easier transition for students who have only been attending classes two days a week for many months now. While Pennridge may feel five-day instruction is the best option for students, many see this choice as too rushed and risky in our current climate.