Will Pa. schools be back to normal this year?

• Scott LaMar
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

 Sarah Schneider / WESA

Sam Studebaker, left, teaches a Sophomore English class at Propel's Andrew Street High School in Munhall.

Airdate: August 16, 2022

The last time schools were what can be described as normal was in March 2020. That’s when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and disrupted education like never we’ve ever seen before. Online classes, to mask or not to mask students, and politics have had roles.

Two-and-a-half years later, a new school year is about to begin in Pennsylvania.

Schools probably will never return to that early 2020 normal but what will they look like this year?

Mark DiRocco, Executive Director and Sherri Smith, Director of Professional Development with the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators appeared on Tuesday’s Smart Talk.

DiRocco indicated that he expects fewer disruptions this school year,”I think with COVID, we have a lot more tools than we’ve had the last two years, but the vaccinations are readily available. The updates to the vaccinations, the boosters are readily available. There’s new pharmaceuticals that are readily available for severe illness, and there are home testing kits that are readily available. So we think that it’s much more manageable this year than in years past. Plus, it’s up to the local districts to decide how they’re going to implement mitigation strategies. So there’s no more mandatory masking, there’s no more mandatory social distancing of six feet, etc.. All those decisions are going to be at the local level made by local school boards, local superintendents and school leaders. So I think those folks better understand the needs of their own community, the needs of their own children.”

Both DiRocco and Smith admitted there will be students who are behind academically due to the last two years’ disruptions, but said teachers will be working to identify them and provide the help they need.

Most school districts have said they’re most concerned about a shortage of teachers as Smith commented,”The biggest concern that we have across the Commonwealth right now is our shortage of our professional staff, both our teachers and our support staff to be able to provide that additional support to our students that they need it, much less to ensure that we have certified teachers in our classrooms across the Commonwealth. So, you know, one of the things that we talk to our folks about is, number one, we’ve all got to work together, unify and work together to mitigate the shortage in our teachers as soon as possible.”