PENDLETON — Barring another surge in COVID-19 cases, the Pendleton School District is poised to expand its in-person offerings for elementary school students on Feb. 22.

Superintendent Chris Fritsch told the Pendleton School Board during a Monday, Feb. 8, board meeting that the latest edition of the plan called for K-5 students to return to the classroom for half-day “hybrid instruction” classes. Should the schools and area continue to keep their case numbers low, middle and high school students could go back for half days on March 19.

“All of this is subject to change,” he said. “But this is the plan.”

One of the key changes in policy that is allowing Pendleton to pursue this plan is the state allowing schools to use ZIP code data to determine reopening rather than countywide data. According to the most recent data from Umatilla County Public Health, the district’s two-week rolling COVID-19 rate dropped under the hybrid learning threshold at the end of January.

Even though most elementary students could be back in class in a matter of weeks, Fritsch said school will look much different than it did pre-pandemic.

Social distancing requirements means cohort sizes will be much smaller than they are normally, and students will need to stay in the classroom to eat lunch instead of going to the cafeteria.

Fritsch said some services, like meal delivery to some of the district’s satellite communities, will likely be discontinued to redirect school buses back to student transportation.

And the district will begin administering tests to students who are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Parents will need to sign a consent form to allow their children to be tested, but even if they can’t test a student, schools can still send kids home to quarantine if they’re showing symptoms.

Administrators will track COVID-19 case numbers through the first two weeks of elementary hybrid instruction to gauge the viability of expanding it into secondary grades. Should case numbers continue to remain low, the district could further expand in-person classes further into the spring.

Several parents attended the meeting virtually, but not all of them were able to deliver their full remarks as the district offices struggled through internet connectivity issues throughout the evening. The parents who did speak offered varying opinions.

Eric Caswell said the district answered most of his questions during the presentation and urged the school board to continue prioritizing students when making plans.

But Chantell Reid critiqued the plan, adding the district risked contributing to a “socially inept generation” if it didn’t pursue a more expansive reopening.

The district expects to finalize its elementary reopening plan on Feb. 19, but Fritsch reiterated that the plans were subject to change depending on changes to the health and regulatory outlook.