Panther Valley is seeing strong interest in its online learning program, which will allow more social distancing when students return in person.

The first day of school for students is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Well over 100 students from each school building are planning to attend Panther Valley Learning Academy, where students will participate in real-time online lessons with district teachers.

“Students are every day enrolling (in PVLN),” said new Junior-High School Principal Patti Ebbert. “The more that enroll, the less that there will be in person. That’s helping. A lot of cyber kids are coming back to the PV learning network.”

As of Thursday, there were 171 junior-senior high school (grades 7-12) students enrolled in the academy. There are 110 students from the intermediate school (grades 4-6), and another 175 in the elementary (K-3).

Elementary Principal Robert Palazzo said there is currently no deadline to enroll in online school.

The remaining students will attend school five days a week, five hours per day, receiving a take-home lunch.

Marco D’Ancona pointed out that the state is recommending Carbon County schools open with hybrid or full online instruction, based on current levels of virus transmission. Panther Valley’s adopted health and safety plan included a hybrid option where students would attend two days a week.

Superintendent David McAndrew Jr. said that based on the number of students enrolled in PVLN, about one in three, the district is able to accomplish a similar amount of social distancing as the hybrid model would have provided, particularly in the intermediate and elementary schools.

“Because so many people took advantage of going online, that ended up being a hybrid model,” he said.

The school district is providing every student with a Chromebook laptop. Distribution will begin at the end of the month.

They are also applying to the state to receive permission for students to attend school online during snow days.

The district also plans to move forward with sports on time, starting practices on Monday. McAndrew said if students aren’t participating in high school sports, it’s likely they would be participating in other activities that would have the same potential for exposing them to COVID-19.

“If they’re not doing this they’re going to be doing other things on their own that are not sanctioned, not following the protocols, and I think they’re just as likely to have issues out there,” he said.