Dear Conestoga Valley School Board Members:

Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issued updated guidelines reflecting the best data on how to safely and effectively reopen schools. As educators, we have dedicated our lives to our students, and we care deeply about their education, safety, and welfare. Because of that, we respectfully ask that the Board follows PDE’s guidelines and use a hybrid instructional model K-12 to open school.

Under the state issued guidelines, Lancaster County is categorized at a “moderate risk level” for community transmission of COVID-19. A hybrid instructional model will improve our chances of teaching safely, while also giving us the much needed in-person contact that we want with our students. A hybrid model is the only way that we can come close to achieving the 6-ft social distancing between students in our classes and is consistently recommended by doctors, epidemiologists, scientists, the PA Department of Health, and the CDC.

If you insist on ignoring recommendations by PDE and other experts and bring all students back to school at the same time, you will double the potential number and size of outbreaks. You will also fail in making your faculty and staff feel supported and will add to the stress, anxiety, and even fear that most of us are feeling.

Let us be perfectly clear: we want to teach in person. We desperately want to meet our students and develop positive relationships with them. We want to be as safe as possible. We want you to adhere to the recommendations from PDE. We know that the hybrid model allows us to do all of these things.

Please prioritize the safety of the children, faculty, staff, families, and community. A hybrid instructional model provides the best way to minimize the risk of COVID-19 cases, illnesses, and deaths, while still being able to teach our students in person. Please reconsider your original reopening plan, which was approved prior to PDE’s newest recommendations and instead approve a hybrid plan. We look forward to your consideration and response.

Please sign this petition below. Indicate if you are a CV employee and/or community member.