During this time, we can all understand how difficult it is to be a parent, student, community member and/or educator. Inevitably, there will be rumors and possibly inaccurate information within the community and on social media. At this time, there are NO reported cases of Coronavirus connected to the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
The District is receiving updated information from the Pennsylvania Department of Education who is collaborating with the Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, county municipal health departments and others to ensure the most current and accurate information and resources are available for our school district.
Utilize this webpage as your source for timely and accurate district Information. We will make resources available and information will be updated through this page. In addition, the Skylert Messaging system, as well as local media outlets will be utilized as necessary.
We will be in direct contact with parents, students, and district employees with timely and accurate information when it becomes available.
Thursday, March 12, 2020, 8:00AM:
- There are currently no known cases within our School District.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
- Out of an abundance of caution, we are going to postpone this afternoon and evening parent teacher conferences to limit the number of visitors coming to our schools. Elementary students will still be dismissed at 12:00PM today as originally planned.
- All field trips will be suspended until further notice.
- Custodian & Maintenance staff are and will continue disinfecting buildings
Thursday, March 12, 2020, 5:00PM:
- Kindergarten registration has been postponed until further notice
- All competitive sporting events have been postponed until further notice
- All extra-curricular activities will be postponed until further notice
Friday, March 13, 2020, 2:30 :
Out of an abundance of caution and a moral and ethical responsibility to our students, staff and community we will close all schools based on PA Department of Health recommendations regarding social distancing and large group gatherings. All schools will be closed effective Monday, March 16, 2020 and will remain closed through Friday, March 27, 2020. We will be in contact with you to provide updates as needed. As of now, classes will resume on Monday, March 30, 2020.
Saturday, March 14, 2020, 6:45 pm
The Wilkes-Barre Area School District will be serving Grab and Go Bags beginning Monday, March 16th from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the following locations:
- Dodson Elementary
- Coughlin High School (Annex)
- Flood Elementary
- GAR Memorial High School
- Heights Elementary
- Kistler Elementary
- Mackin Elementary
- Solomon Elementary
Lunches will continue to be served throughout our closure.
Monday, March 16, 2020, 12:15 pm
Mount Zion Food Service will also be providing dinner pickup at the same time and location as the District Grab & GO Bags (THANK YOU!).
Beginning Tuesday, March 17, the Grab and Go Bags will contain a lunch for the day and a breaksfast for the following day.
Thursday, March 19, 2020, 4:57 pm
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has announced the cancellation of statewide assessments for the 2019-2020 school year. This cancellation includes the PSSA, PASA, and Keystone Exams.
Thursday, March 19, 2020, 7:40 pmThe Wilkes-Barre Area School District will continue to serve Grab and Go Bags from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the following locations:
- Dodson Elementary
- Coughlin High School (Annex)
- Flood Elementary
- GAR Memorial High School
- Heights Elementary
- Kistler Elementary
- Mackin Elementary
- Solomon Elementary
Lunches will continue to be served throughout our closure.
Monday, March 23, 2020
The Department of Education (PDE) announced today all schools in the commonwealth will remain closed through at least April 6 as a result of the COVID-19 response efforts. The closure order could be extended beyond April 6 if necessary to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Under the new timeline, school buildings would reopen on April 7 for two days to allow school administrators, teachers and other staff time to prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations. Students would return to school on April 9, unless extending the closure is needed in response to the situation with the virus at that time.
We will continue to serve Grab and Go Bags from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the following locations:
- Dodson Elementary
- Flood Elementary
- Heights Elementary
- Kistler Elementary
- Mackin Elementary
- Solomon Elementary
Lunches will continue to be served throughout our closure.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Enrichment & Review begins
Today, the Governor extended all school closures until further notice. The April 7th for personnel and the April 9th date for students to return are no longer valid.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
We will be following our school Calendar and will be closed April 9th, 10th, and 13th .
Enrichment & Review / Food Service will resume on Tuesday, April 14th.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Governor Wolf has ordered all K-12 schools and programs, public and private, to be closed through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.
Enrichment & Review / Food Service will resume on Tuesday, April 14th.
Friday, April 17, 2020
In response to the recent closing of our physical buildings for the rest of the academic year, the Wilke-Barre Area School District will now increase the intensity and focus of our efforts around instruction for all students, at all grade levels.
We will now be following the Secretary of Educations recommendation (as of April 15, 2020) “As educators preparing students to continue on to postsecondary opportunities, the workforce or transitioning to their next grade, it is our responsibility and expectation that every school offer planned instruction at every grade level for all students.”
A Skylert message will be sent to all students and their families in English and Spanish by Friday, April 17th explaining what students should expect beginning Monday, April 20th.
Although the District’s Continuity of Education plan already included an enrichment component (new material), we will now implement the following modifications as we move forward to “Planned Instruction.”
- Attendance will be monitored and documented.
- Live Sessions will be implemented within classes
Friday, May 1, 2020
The descriptors below will be used to evaluate students for the 4th quarter. The descriptions are a rubric/guide for teachers to follow when evaluating students based on resources available during remote learning.
Grades K, 1, 2
S - Satisfactory - student completed 60%-100% of the assignments
U - Unsatisfactory - student completed 59% - 0% of the assignments
Comments - One comment would be attached to the S or U for each student.
- The student participated at an exceptional level during the school closure.
- The student participated at a satisfactory level during the school closure.
- The student participated at an unsatisfactory level during the school closure.
- The student did not participate during the school closure.
- Student was unable to participate in remote learning due to lack of technology or other situations beyond their control.
- Parent/Guardian did not respond to District communication.
Grades 3-12
Exemplary- 85-100
The student performed at an exemplary level during the school closure.
The student participated in all live sessions (possibly with one or two exceptions).
The student demonstrated exemplary responsibility and initiative during the school closure.
The student exhibited an exemplary transition to remote learning.
Satisfactory- 70-84
The students performed at a satisfactory level during the school closure.
The student participated in most live sessions.
The student demonstrated satisfactory responsibility and initiative during the school closure.
The student exhibited a satisfactory transition to remote learning.
Limited- 60-69
The student performed at a limited level during the school closure.
The student participated in some live sessions
The student demonstrated limited responsibility and initiative during the school closure.
The student exhibited a limited transition to remote learning.
Unsatisfactory- Below 60
The student performed at a below basic/unsatisfactory level during the school closure.
The student did not participate in any live sessions.
The student demonstrated unsatisfactory responsibility and initiative during the school closure.
The student exhibited an unsatisfactory transition to remote learning.
Other Comments:
Student was unable to participate in remote learning due to lack of technology or other situations beyond their control.
Student/Parent or Guardian did not respond to District communication