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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Superintendent Brian Costello spent nearly two hours of Monday&rsquo;s Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting explaining the reopening plan and fielding numerous submitted questions.
				Perhaps the most immediate point: Parents or guardians only have until Friday, Aug. 14 to let the district know which of three learning options they want for their student this coming semester; those that don&rsquo;t make a choice will automatically be enrolled in a live, remote-only option.
				The three choices: Option 1, attend school live with students at least six feet apart; option 2, attending live learning session remotely for the full school day; option 3, asynchronous online learning through the district cyber school that will not give the same opportunity of teacher interaction available in option 2.
				Costello noted that so far roughly half of parents have chosen option 1, about 40% picked option 2 and about 10% picked option 3.
				One of the first submitted questions asked the district to re-evaluate a new restriction that masks be solid or striped. Several parents raised the same concerns: they already bought masks that did not meet that rule because their children wanted something more to their personal tastes, buying new masks would be costly, and the children may be more eager to wear the masks already chosen.
				One parent went further and urged the board to suspend the entire dress code policy because of the pandemic, suggesting some parents have lost their jobs and can&rsquo;t afford to buy new clothes for their children.
				When it came time to approve a new dress code, the board amended the part regarding masks to have the superintendent to revise the policy and allow a wider array of masks as long as they are not deemed inappropriate or offensive and do not disrupt education.
				The board also debated suspending the dress code completely, and while all members liked the idea, some voiced concerns that some limits are needed and that more discussion should be held, including with principals, before making such a move. Ultimately the board agreed to have Costello get input from administrators and teachers followed by a policy committee meeting for next Monday or Tuesday with an eye on relaxing some of the requirements to help keep costs down for parents.
				Other reopening items discussed
				Some other reopening items covered by Costello:
				&#8226; Elementary students will stay in rooms and teachers will move between them. Lunch will eaten in the rooms. There will be no traditional gym but students will get some work in the class and possibly get some recommendations for home activities. There will not be physical plastic barriers between students, but there will be empty desks to create the required six feet of social distancing. Gyms may be used for additional classroom space if needed.
				&#8226; High school students may move more but with restrictions and while wearing masks. Meals will be in the cafeteria with the gym used for extra spacing if needed.Students will all sit facing the same direction and six feet apart.
				&#8226; Parents should do a quick health check before students leave for school each day. Students will be subject to temperature checks via thermal scanners entering the schools. Those with possible fevers will be isolated and checked.
				&#8226; If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the entire classroom will switch to remote-only learning so they can quarantine at home for 14 days, and the school will be closed for a deep cleaning before other students return. If teachers test positive they must quarantine for 14 days, but if able could still teach online with no students in the room.
				&#8226; Black boards won&rsquo;t be used in schools. each student will have a portable white board they can write on and hold up to show teachers their work while maintaining distance. No students in a school will be seen in online streaming, only the teacher and the black board will be seen. Students working at home will not be visible to the public online.
				&#8226; To facilitate more frequent day cleaning, 23 custodians, cleaners and maintenance people will move from evening shift to earlier shifts to help during the day while still remaining for a time after school lets out.
				&#8226; About half the people who previously used district transportation have said they expect to arrange their own transportation for their children this year, which could make it easier to keep some distance between students on a bus, but masks on the bus will be mandatory.
				&#8226; There will be no punishment of detention or suspension if a student fails to wear a mask as required, but those student will automatically be moved to option 2 and learn at home.
				&#8226; Once the options are settled for all parents, online meetings will be held with each group. Arrangements will be made to provide a Chromebook computer and any books and material to all students. All student work will be submitted online using Google classroom, by both students a home and in the classroom. Students learning at home will have to sign a code of conduct and follow policies being developed.
				&#8226; While the start and end times of school will be the same, the times for actual academic classes may change to give more time for things like eating breakfast in the morning. High school will be reduced from six periods to five, eliminating some electives to create a study hall giving students a chance to connect with teachers for additional help if needed. Efforts are underway to make elementary school teachers available to students outside of regular class time as well.
				&#8226; Teachers will control what cameras show online, and will be able to take students at home off line if they misbehave.
				During the voting, the board also approved a new education equity policy, appointed Justin Correll as elementary school principal and Megan Lebatch as administrative attendance to the superintendent.
				Heated exchange
				At the end of the meeting Board Member Denise Thomas read a statement about racist comments on social media by an unnamed board member, prompting Board Member Ned Evans to angrily say she was referring to him and that he &ldquo;is appalled at anyone accusing me of racism.&rdquo; He defended his decision to post an image of the Confederate flag and re-post quotes from other people, insisting he was &ldquo;not praising what it stood for,&rdquo; but saying students should still learn about it.
				Thomas and Board Member Shawn Walker both said they did not call Evans a racist, but that it was inappropriate to post the flag and the comments in a district with a high minority population.
				The exchange between Evans and Thomas grew heated, with Board President Joe Caffrey calling for civility and quoting a section of the education equity policy which calls for instructional materials and teaching practices &ldquo;that reflect and are responsive to the diverse cultural perspectives and identities of students an their families.&rdquo;

Wilkes-Barre Area details back to school plans