YORK, Pa. — The new school year is just a few weeks away, and with that comes concerns from parents about what they can expect for their kids.
School officials are saying parents and students can expect a better school year.
“Almost every school leader that I know and have talked with wants their kids and their staff back in school, getting back into a normal routine, and I think parents can expect that too," said Mark D. DiRocco, the executive director at the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be measures in place to ensure the safety of students, staff, and faculty.
“Students who get sick with COVID-19 are going to stay home, if we do have a significant outbreak in the building, we might have to shut that building down for a few days, but we’re much better equipped to do online learning for a few days," said DiRocco.
Health experts, on the other hand, say it’s likely the commonwealth will see another surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall.
“Kids are back in school, they spread respiratory viruses, they often take it home to the parents, parents then take it to the grandparents, so we’re likely to see a surge in cases," said Dr. John D. Goldman, an infectious disease expert with UPMC.
Experts don’t believe the case surge will cause school closures, or for schools to do remote learning though.
“Although we’ll see cases, I expect them to be mild, and I expect them not to overwhelm our medical system. I think that we’re going to see what’s the equivalent of a bad flu season when school starts again," said Dr. Goldman.