Wissahickon School District has taken a rare approach to the start of the new school year amid the pandemic with a five-day-a-week and full in-person learning for all families who desire it, writes Maria Panaritis for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Those who prefer to stay home will receive virtual instruction. Only high grades were given a virtual-only option due to staffing shortages that the school is still trying to resolve.

“It’s going great so far, actually,” said Wissahickon Superintendent James Crisfield. “I went to one of our elementary schools the first day and it looked like the normal first day: joy and anticipation and angst.”

One of the major reasons why the school district could choose to implement this option is its strong tax base that serves around 5,000 students.  The district also had relatively new facilities and enough financial reserves to compensate for any costs that were not anticipated in the budget to put the in-class plan in place.

Additionally, with four out of ten families in the district opting for learning from home, there is ample space to create about six feet of social distancing between students.

Read more about Wissahickon School District at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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