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PHM Returns For 1st In-Person Classes For Some Students

https://www.phmschools.org/sites/phmschools.org/files/return_to_learn_schedule_v8_9.12.20.pdf

Monday was the first day of in-person learning for some students in the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. Pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade students now have the opportunity to return to the classroom.

Superintendent Jerry Thacker says that about 80% of those students elected to return in person, while about 20% will continue to learn online. He says that while the virtual program includes more recorded lessons and independent work, all students will have the opportunity to interact with their teachers and get feedback on their work.

“When students are in-person, they have more opportunity for immediate feedback from the teachers, and there’s closer monitoring. But they’ll all learn the same curriculum and they’ll all have the same kind of assessments,” Thacker said.

In addition to masking, physical distancing and sanitizing high-touch surfaces, students enter and exit school buildings in cohorts to minimize crowding. They also have assigned bus seating and portable plastic barriers that they carry from class to class.

As for enforcing these protocols, Thacker said that the responsibility will be shared by teachers, parents and the students themselves.

“We work together to ensure that the students follow the rules, and so we really do expect everyone to be in compliance.”

The rest of Penn-Harris-Madison’s students who are choosing the in-person option are scheduled to return next Monday, September 21.

 

Gemma DiCarlo came to Indiana by way of Athens, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2020 with a degree in Journalism and certificates in New Media and Sustainability. She has radio experience from her time as associate producer of Athens News Matters, the flagship public affairs program at WUGA-FM.
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