In two emails sent out to parents on Thursday morning, Boyertown Superintendent Dr. Dana T. Bedden outlined the district’s plan to reopen from April 7-9 for teachers and staff, and on Monday, April 13 for students. This is set into place “unless extending the closure is directed in response to the situation with the virus at that time,” the email read.

If the closure is extended, the school will shift to online learning on April 13. This is phrased as “Continuity of Education,” a term that the Superintendent described as “the overarching term for any educational practices that occur in the event of a prolonged school closure.”

Many colleges and universities made that shift to online classes immediately as campuses and dorms closed for the semester. Other states have closed schools for a longer period of time, such as Virginia where the Governor closed all schools for the rest of the semester.

The buildings will reopen on April 7-9 for staff to “prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations.” During the closure, the Secretary of Education sent out the following guidelines to BASD, which the Superintendent highlighted in his email.

“Under Governor Wolf’s order, personnel at our educational entities in all 67 counties who are providing life-sustaining services, including, but not limited to: administration, food preparation and distribution, housing, security, information technology, building maintenance, and operations (e.g., payroll) can continue to be deemed essential and are permitted to continue their work, provided they adhere to social distancing guidelines.”

The extended closure affects students significantly as some are anxious to hear about events such as prom, graduation, and the music department’s musical, while spring sports have been reportedly cancelled. Internationally, the Olympic Games have been postponed for the first time since World War II, and all sports organizations except the NFL have postponed or cancelled their competitions.

On the music department’s website, co-directors Mr. John Hazel and Mr. Jeff Brunner wrote, “Once we know we are returning to school, a plan will be put into place on when the show will take place and how to redistribute tickets. An email will be sent to all ticket holders with details at that time.”

The athletics department took to Twitter recently to congratulate all athletes who have won awards or honors, such as students who were named the 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team. Tweets also discussed the staff return, commenting, “Our team will return April 7, 8, and 9 to make preparations for the students’ return on April 13th.”

A full list of the BASH athletes who have received athletic honors or awards are below. The two emails sent out are also at the end of the article.

Julia Smith – Girls Basketball All PAC First Team Liberty Division

Ashley Kapp – Girls Basketball All PAC Second Team Liberty Division

Tre Diguglielmo – Boys Basketball All PAC First Team Liberty Division

Mason Marinello – Boys Basketball All PAC Second Team Liberty Division

Aarick Salata – Boys Basketball All PAC Second Team Liberty Division

Alex Obarow – Winter 2019-2020 Boyertown PAC Citizen Award Winner

Christopher Kiefer – Boys Basketball 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team

Emily Hillegas – Girls Basketball 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team

Abigayle Nafus – Cheerleading 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team

Justin Morris – Boys Swimming 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team

Zoe Enterline – Girls Swimming 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team

Samantha Reitnour – Wrestling 2019-2020 Winter All Academic Team