The School District of Philadelphia plans to open schools on Sept. 2 under a hybrid model that for most students will include two days a week in the classroom and three days a week online, officials announced Wednesday morning.

The plan calls for four-day-a-week instruction (Monday through Thursday) for special education students with “complex needs” and Pre-K students.

Students will also be able to opt-in to an all online “digital academy.” Registration for this program will begin at the end of July, according to the plan. Students who choose the digital academy will have to remain in that mode of instruction through the end of the first quarter and then can opt in to the hybrid model if they choose. More information on enrollment in the digital academy will be available later this month. 

Superintendent William Hite said that the district is working with city officials and internet service providers to get access for all students, adding that additional laptops will be available for students who need them.

Most students will be part of what the district is calling the “A/B schedule.” Classes will be divided roughly in half with half of students in the classroom on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other half on Tuesdays and Thursdays. During virtual instruction days, students will work on group projects, small group instruction with a teacher and asynchronous work. Attendance will be required for all online and in-class instruction.

District officials will be consulting with schools over the next few weeks to determine each student’s individual schedule.

The planned Sept. 2 opening date is subject to Board of Education approval expected later this month.

Breakfast and lunch will still be provided to all students. Those attending face-to-face will have “grab and go” breakfast options that they can eat while maintaining social distancing. Similarly, lunches in person will be either in a cafeteria set up for social distancing or in classrooms. Students will be able to pick up their breakfasts and lunches for online days at the end of face-to-face days.

Those enrolled in the digital academy will be able to pick up boxes of five breakfasts and five frozen lunches at designated locations close to their homes.

Parents and staff will be required to sign a “COVID-19 Health and Safety Agreement” and conduct at-home daily screenings before students leave for school. The screening will include taking temperatures, monitoring symptoms and reporting recent exposure to anyone diagnosed with COVID-19.

Teachers, staff and “essential visitors” will also be required to conduct daily health screenings and complete a “Pre-Entry Screening Form” and show proof of completion on their phones or a printed copy when they arrive.

Masks will be provided to all students and everyone on school grounds will be required to wear a face covering, officials said. Acceptable face coverings include surgical masks, cloth face coverings and neck gaiters that can be pulled up over the lower part of the face. Face shields will be provided for those who can’t wear masks.

“Just coming with a piece of fabric, a bandana or a scarf will not be accepted on school grounds,” said Dr. Barbara Klock, the District’s School Health Medical Advisor.

Other measures include “deep cleaning” of school buildings daily, including periodic disinfectant spraying with backpack-mounted sprayers.

The additional measures will cost the district about $60-$80 million on top of regular costs. Hite said the district will cover the costs with a variety of sources, possibly including the federal HEROES Act stimulus bill that is currently under Congressional consideration.

Hite said the district is preparing for the possibility that learning could go fully online during the school year.

“We are preparing for when, not if, we have COVID in schools, he said. “This [plan] can and likely will change,” he said.

The full plan is available here.