Palmerton Area School District students will be returning to the hybrid educational model sooner than expected.

A week after Palmerton’s school board voted 8-1 to move students to a full remote learning model until at least Jan. 25, depending on whether Carbon County was able to move out of the substantial COVID-19 transmission range for three out of four weeks, directors voted 5-4 Wednesday night to change that return date to Jan. 4.

The vote came near the conclusion of a nearly five-hour meeting devoted solely to that topic. Voting in favor of the motion were Barry Scherer, Earl Paules, Tammy Recker, Sherry Haas and Doris Zellers, while Kathy Fallow, Audrey Larvey, Kate Baumgardt and Brandon Mazepa were opposed.

“It’s a compromise,” Scherer, who made the motion, said of the decision. Earlier in the meeting, Scherer and Paules had voted to resume the hybrid model on Tuesday when students return from Thanksgiving break.

“Nobody has proved to me that is unsafe for our kids to be in school,” Scherer said. “You can do anything you want with numbers. Anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable sending their children to school can stay all virtual if they want to.”

In another change from last week’s decision, sports and extracurricular activities will now be permitted while students are attending school virtually. Voting to allow sports and extra-curriculars were Scherer, Paules, Recker, Haas, Zellers and Mazepa.

“This entire board supports the decision,” Fallow said. “We disagree in the end, but it’s a good discussion. We talk about all the different things on our minds and yet we vote and figure out a way to compromise and come to a conclusion.”

Reaction

While a majority of parents who spoke Wednesday night wanted the hybrid model to continue with students in school throughout December, many were thankful the board reconsidered its decision from a week ago.

“I’m happy with date you agreed on for the kids to return back,” Joleene Delgado said. “My son can now get back sooner to in-person classes and get the help he needs. I also agree with sports. I believe kids will follow the rules and regulations. We just can’t go off of numbers. Those numbers weren’t in our school building.”

Likewise, MaryJo King thanked the board for giving herself and other parents the choice to return their children to school or keep them learning virtually beyond Jan. 4.

“We got to see you in your raw state tonight,” she told the board. “That is a lot to put on you to see you so vulnerable in front of the public. I think all nine of you made some type of compromise tonight.”

Palmerton’s head boys’ basketball coach, Ken Termini, thanked the board members who, “had the personal and professional courage to revisit the issue of winter sports and voted to allow our student athletes to compete.”

“Over the last week,” Termini said, “Palmerton’s students witnessed a real life civics lesson. They saw their town’s elected leaders listen to the citizens and taxpayers they represent, and they witnessed how peaceful, passionate and persistent dialogue can evoke change. I hope other communities facing similar challenges can look at Palmerton as an example and find common ground that includes winter athletics.”

Kelli Peppard, meanwhile, questioned the decision to allow sports during the virtual learning period.

“We won’t allow our children to go to class, but we will allow outside people into our district, increasing the risk of exposure,” Peppard said. “Our district has not seen the numbers to validate taking these kids out of school and crippling their education.”

Other options

Coming into the night, Superintendent Dr. Jodi Frankelli’s recommendation was to implement the full remote learning model from Dec. 1 through Jan. 18, with students returning to a hybrid schedule on Jan. 19, and allow sports to follow the current Colonial League schedule. That plan was voted down 9-0 with several board members saying they wouldn’t support sports going forward while students were not attending school in-person.

“If I am going to tell students they can’t come in to the building to get they face-to-face interaction they need, I’m not going to tell other students it’s OK to come here and play sports,” Baumgardt said. “It’s just not fair.”

Another option voted down Wednesday was to have a 14-day quarantine after both the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year holidays.

“I would much rather see us quarantine after both holidays and let the kids return in between,” Zellers said. “The proof is in the numbers that we can’t trust the community to do what is asked or at least to the level that will keep everyone safe. This option would be erring on the side of caution and considering everyone in the mix.”

Frankelli, however, said splitting it up that way would create personnel challenges for the district.