BELLWOOD — Bellwood-Antis School Board members will decide on Sept. 29 whether to move forward with a hybrid plan to educate the district’s students.

As part of the revised school reopening health and safety plan, board members in August approved using a hybrid model, effective

Oct. 5.

The school year began Aug. 31, and students have been attending classes five days a week for in-class instruction. Under the hybrid plan, face-to-face instruction would transition to a blended model of instruction on Oct. 5. This timetable was subject to change as conditions warrant.

If implemented, the hybrid plan calls for students to be divided into a blue group and a gold group with the blue group going to classes Monday and Tuesday with virtual learning Thursday and Friday, and the gold group attending classes Thursday and Friday with virtual learning on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday will be a virtual day for all students to allow for cleaning of the schools.

“It was not our intention to go hybrid on Oct. 5. There was a lot of confusion that was a drop dead date to go hybrid, that was not our intent,” board member Jeff Nycum said.

The superintendent said that in-class instruction will remain if there is no need for the hybrid alternative.

“We have been going one week now. We have worked hard to get where we are,” Superintendent Thomas McInroy said. “Ten percent of instruction is virtual. It has been a challenge. Some folks are being overwhelmed. We have a lot of work ahead of us. We are doing our best to make sure all kids progress at the same rate. The pace is slow, but they are getting a quality education. If there is no need to go hybrid, it will remain as it is.”

Board member Thomas Finn said things were going well.

“I would like to do it as long as we can. We need to look at it at the end of the month,” he said.

Board members agreed Tuesday that it was too early to make a decision, so they will held a special meeting Sept. 29.

President Robert Fisher said, “Follow the data. If it suggests another course of action, consider it. We have to wait and see what the data is like.”

Board member Chris McCartney said, “We are struggling with 10 percent (virtual); we will really struggle with 50 percent. This is another variable into everyone’s equation.”

Finn said board members need to look at the “totality of the circumstances.”

“You just can’t look at the number of positive cases. The fact that we are in school is another factor for me. The kids in school is the best scenario from an educational standpoint,” Finn said. “Starting this way, we made the right decision. What the faculty and staff have done has been fantastic. If we had started hybrid 50/50 it could have been a problem.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.