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EXETER &mdash; Wyoming Area became the third Luzerne County school district in two days to decide learning will be online at the beginning of the school year, according to a letter posted on the district website by Curriculum Director Robert Galella.
				While the district consults state officials and local stakeholders, &ldquo;in the end, it does come down to a local decision to where the school district needs to ensure the safety of their students and staff first and foremost. We are confident at this time, that shifting our continuity of education plan to an all virtual model will provide the safest atmosphere,&rdquo;Galella wrote.
				The district will use Google Classroom, and district teachers &ldquo;will be providing and delivering their curriculum to our students, which we believe will not only be the best education provided that we are capable of during these challenging times but the safest.&rdquo;
				This differs from the method used in the spring after Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all schools closed beginning March 16, when the district used Edgenuity and Odysseyware platforms to provide what the state dubbed &ldquo;continuity of education&rdquo;.
				&ldquo;With Google Classroom, students will be able to participate virtually in real time where they can ask questions, respond, and actively engage in classroom discussion,&rdquo; Galella wrote.
				&ldquo;We need to implement this virtual model to ensure the safety of our students and our staff because once again, in being true to ourselves in working with children - the question continues to arise - how will we be able to maintain recommended social distancing per the CDC guidelines? And the answer that we keep coming back to is virtual learning until we are assured and confident from a national, state and local level that it is safe to return to school.&rdquo;
				A separate message announcing the change on the district website and introducing the letter adds information about special education. Administrators for many area districts have repeatedly voiced concern about providing the added attention required for some special needs students when in-class lessons are hybridized or dropped completely.
				The website post notes that, while most students will be learning virtually, &ldquo;the exception will be some Special Education classes; those students will come into the buildings. The teacher will instruct using Google Classroom and provide live streaming as well as recording a lesson. All students will receive a chrome book. You may also contact your building principals for additional information.&rdquo;
				Galella encourages families enrolled in outside cyber schools or in the district&rsquo;s own cyber school &ldquo;to please consider having your student(s) take advantage of being educated by their own teachers within this virtual model.&rdquo;
				Unlike Crestwood, which announced it would go all virtual until at least Oct. 1, or Wyoming Valley West, which announced remote-only learning through Oct. 9, Galella said the all-remote lessons at Wyoming Area will run through the first marking period, which ends Nov. 10. He also notes &ldquo;We will continue to assess what changes may take place with the pandemic.&rdquo;
				The Google classrooms are intended to be synchronous so all students attend virtual lessons similar to a day in school, but Galella says that &ldquo;if your child is not able to participate during the school day once the building level schedules are developed and shared; please email your principal stating this and the reason and a response will be provided to you.&rdquo;
				Wyoming Area, Crestwood and Wyoming Valley West all adopted hybrid plans just a few weeks ago, intending to split students into two groups, with one group in school while the other learned online at home. The two groups would alternate in some way between the two modes. All three changed to remote-only for the start of the year.
				Hazleton Area was the first local district to opt for a remote-only start.

Wyoming Area to go full-virtual for start of school