YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown City School District students will have the option to return to in-person instruction beginning the week of March 15.

The new schedule moves the district’s opening to a week earlier than was previously announced.

Earlier this week, district officials said the phased reopening to in-person education would launch March 23.

Under the revised plan, announced Friday, pre-kindergarten students through fifth-graders will return Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning March 16.

Also March 16, all students at Rayen Early College Middle School, regardless of grade level, will return to in-person instruction Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Sixth- through 12th-graders will return Mondays and Fridays, beginning March 15.

Wednesdays will be reserved for educator office hours, professional development and deep building cleaning.

The school district still will have weekly food distribution on Wednesdays.

Families still have the option to continue with remote instruction full time.

Youngstown schools Chief Executive Officer Justin Jennings said he changed the district’s plans after talking to some school leaders and superintendents in other districts across the state about what they’ve been able to do.

“I believe that if we follow all of the mask and social-distancing requirements, we’ll be able to open all of our school buildings and still keep scholars and staff safe,” he said. “We will continue to monitor the virus situation and make adjustments if required.

“We just want to make the right decision,” Jennings said. “We stepped up more of our safety precautions.”

Jennings said he has been in communication with the leadership of the district’s unions, and they support the reopening plans.

“Through the last year, we garnered a level of trust with our transparency,” Jennings said. “A lot of staff members are concerned about their safety. We are making sure we have all the personal protective equipment. They want to be reassured.”

The majority of the staff have indicated they will be coming back, he said.

Jennings said they will try to bring in substitute teachers, but he suggested the district already was facing a shortage of substitutes before the pandemic.

“The pool has shrank so much,” he said. “There is a substitute shortage across the country.”

CONSISTENCY

The district will be asking asking those parents who choose remote learning for their students to remain remote for the remainder of the school year.

“What we don’t want is kids to one day be remote and the next day be in-person at their school,” Jennings said. “We want some consistency. It will help the teachers and the students. ”

Students who remain in remote mode will be taught live by the same teachers who are in the classrooms, according to Jennings.

He emphasized that the district’s decision to return to full in-person school has nothing to do with pressure from Gov. Mike DeWine to get in-person teaching rolling.

“The reason why we moved the date up is if we waited until later on, we would have been bringing our scholars back in the height of testing,” Jennings said. “That is not fair to our students. We want the students to become acclimated to classroom.”

“We want our students to be mentally prepared,” he said.

Remote instruction will continue for all scholars on the days in-person instruction isn’t occurring.

Surveys are being sent out to families to allow them to indicate their preferences for in-person or fully remote instruction.

Parents or guardians will not be permitted in the school buildings.

Transportation has been a concern because of the number of school district buses, social distancing guidelines and the requirement to transport students from private and community / charter schools. Depending on the number of students who plan to return to buildings, the district may need to contract with an outside provider to transport some.

All students and staff will be required to wear masks. Desk shields are being installed in classrooms, and floors and seating areas will be marked to ensure social distancing.

rsmith@tribtoday.com