POLAND — Poland Local Schools Superintendent David Janofa said Friday no definite decision has been made on whether the district will return to a traditional class setting in the fall — although that may be the word on the street.

“Make no mistake about it, what happened with the governor telling us there’s a chance, there’s a possibility … that we could be open” doesn’t mean that school will be in session in the buildings, Janofa said.

Following Gov. Mike DeWine’s news conference Thursday, school districts in the Mahoning Valley are mulling decisions and studying best practices.

“As far as saying we are open, we are very excited about that possibility but the board (of education) hasn’t had a chance to digest where we are with it,” Janofa said.

“If we can meet the guidelines the governor laid out (Thursday) and we can do a good job providing that social distancing … As far as saying we’re all open, we’re excited about that possibility but we haven’t made that decision,” he said.

Even if in-person school does start in the fall, the superintendent said that people need to be prepared for the unexpected.

“Everybody needs to gear up for a bump in the road,” he said, whether it’s later this summer or in the winter months.

There may be times where online instruction could be held, Janofa said.

The school board has been reviewing survey results from the Poland community, while also looking at surveys conducted across the state and country.

Students are at the front of everyone’s mind, not only at Poland but at any district, Janofa said.

“This has been traumatic for the students, the parents,” he said. “There’s zero closure” in terms of last school year.

“We think about this day and night — how kids are behaving, where are they, are they safe,” Janofa said.

For now, Janofa said that the district will take its time and look at the best ways to approach planning for the fall.

afox@tribtoday.com