UPDATE - MARCH 26, 2021:

March 26, 2021

Dear EPS Family,

The Erie School Board on Thursday approved changes to our Health and Safety Plan that will allow us to resume full time in-person instruction at all grade levels, following a staggered schedule that begins with the return of middle and high school students on Wednesday, April 7 and elementary students on Monday, April 26. Please see the full schedule below. We’ve also included a color-coded calendar for easy reference.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHEDULE 

Week of April 6

Hybrid students will continue to participate in purple and gold hybrid groups, with one change: Fridays will no longer be asynchronous learning days. Students in the gold group will report to school for in-person learning all week. Students in the purple group will participate in remote, synchronous instruction all week. Remote students will participate in remote, synchronous instruction.

Week of April 12

Hybrid students will continue to participate in purple and gold hybrid groups, with one change: Fridays will no longer be asynchronous learning days. Students in the purple group will report to school for in-person learning all week. Students in the gold group will participate in remote, synchronous instruction all week. Remote students will participate in remote, synchronous instruction.

Week of April 19

Hybrid students will continue to participate in purple and gold hybrid groups, with one change: Fridays will no longer be asynchronous learning days. Students in the gold group will report to school for in-person all week. Students in the purple group will participate in remote, synchronous instruction all week. Remote students will participate in remote, synchronous instruction.

Week of April 26

Full time (five days/week) in-person instruction resumes for all students who elected to participate in in-person instruction.

* All students who elected to continue 100 percent remote instruction will participate in synchronous, remote instruction five days a week.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Week of April 6  

• Tuesday, April 6: Asynchronous remote learning day for all students. (Special education students in self-contained classrooms will continue to report to school for in-person instruction.)
• Wednesday, April 7: In-person instruction resumes for 6^th-grade students. Remote instruction for 7^th- and 8^th-grade students.
• Thursday, April 8: In-person instruction for 6^th- and 7^th-grade students. Remote instruction for 8^th-grade students.
• Friday, April 9: In-person instruction for 6^th-, 7^th-, and 8^th-grade students.

*All students who elected to continue 100 percent remote instruction will follow their current remote schedule. 

HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Week of April 6

• Tuesday, April 6: Asynchronous remote learning day for all students. (Special education students in self-contained classrooms will continue to report to school for in-person instruction.)
• Wednesday, April 7: In-person instruction resumes for 9^th-grade students. Synchronous remote instruction for 10^th-, 11^th- and 12^th-grade students.
• Thursday, April 8: In-person instruction for 9^th- and 10^th-grade students. Synchronous emote instruction for 11^th- and 12^th-grade students.
• Friday, April 9: In-person instruction for 9^th-, 10^th-, 11^th- and 12^th-grade students.

*All students who elected to continue 100 percent remote instruction will follow their current remote schedule.

We’re grateful to be able to welcome our students and staff back into our buildings and continue the important business of education in person, and feel confident that the protocols outlined in our Health and Safety Plan (available at eriesd.org/reopen) allow us to do so safely. We will continue to follow the expert guidance of federal, state and local health and education agencies moving forward.

We know that this has been a very trying time for our families and students as they grapple with the difficulties inherent in remote learning and other challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for your flexibility, perseverance, and your ongoing trust in Erie’s Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

DATE- JANUARY 14, 2021:

Dear EPS Families,

Based on newly updated guidance from the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Health and following consultation with the Erie County Department of Health, Erie’s Public Schools will resume hybrid instruction for those elementary school students (preK-5) who previously elected to participate in the hybrid model.

We will also offer targeted in-person instruction to special education students in self-contained classrooms, some special education students who receive supplemental special education services, some ELL students, and high school seniors in need of credits to graduate. You will be contacted by the district if your child falls into any of these categories.

In-person instruction for career and technical education students will also resume.

In October, Erie’s Public Schools asked families of elementary school students to fill out a survey indicating whether their child(ren) would participate in hybrid or 100 percent remote learning. Students who elected hybrid learning were assigned to either the “gold” or “purple” group to determine their schedule.

Under the hybrid model, gold and purple groups attend in-person and remote classes on alternating weeks: Students in one group attend school in person on Monday through Thursday while students in the other group participate in remote instruction that week. All students participate in remote instruction on Fridays.

In-person instruction for students assigned to the purple group will begin Monday, February 1.

In-person instruction for students assigned to the gold group will begin Monday, February 8.

If you haven’t already, you will be receiving a calendar that outlines the hybrid instruction schedule shortly. The calendar is also available at eriesd.org/reopen. If you do not remember which hybrid group your child is assigned to, please log on to Infinite Campus. If you are unable to access Infinite Campus, please contact your child’s school directly.

For families who previously indicated that their child(ren) would continue 100 percent remote learning: Students should continue to log into Schoology each school day to participate in both synchronous and asynchronous instruction as they have been doing.

For all families: Should you have any questions regarding hybrid, remote or cyber instruction, please contact the assistant superintendent’s office at 874-6015.

Erie’s Public Schools is committed to providing a safe learning environment for our staff and students, and to doing our part to keep our entire EPS community healthy. As such, we will continue to follow the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and our state and local health agencies in decisions regarding instruction and district operations, including when in-person instruction will resume for all middle and high school students. Our complete Health and Safety Plan is available at eriesd.org/reopen.

As we continue to monitor COVID-19, please stay connected to all district communication channels, including our website (eriesd.org) and our Facebook page. You can help us make sure you receive important information and timely updates by ensuring your contact information is up-to-date; should you need to make any changes to your address, phone number or email address, please contact the district administration building at 874-6000.

Sincerely,

Brian Polito, CPA

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

UPDATE - JANUARY 5, 2021:

Dear EPS Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a healthy and restful holiday break.

As we continue to monitor COVID-19, we have made the decision to continue 100 percent remote instruction at least through Friday, Jan. 29. This decision was made in consultation with the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), and is in keeping with the guidance of those agencies. 

PDE recommends that all schools in counties with substantial community transmission of COVID-19 participate in 100 percent remote learning. As of the most recent data available, every county in Pennsylvania, including Erie County, has a substantial level of community transmission. PDE, ECDOH and the Pennsylvania Department of Health all further recommend that schools continue remote learning for two full weeks following an improvement from “substantial” community spread to a “moderate” level of community spread. We will continue to follow that recommendation and rely on the guidance of health and safety experts at the state and local level.

We will provide additional information about operations and instruction moving forward during the week of Monday, Jan. 24. In the meantime, please stay connected to our district Facebook page and visit our district website (eriesd.org) for important updates, information and resources.

I’d also like to provide a brief update on the ventilation work that has been occurring throughout the district. About 85 percent of the work has been successfully completed, with the remaining work expected to be finished by the end of this month.  Thanks to those improvements and the detailed protocols outlined in our Health and Safety Plan, we feel confident that our buildings will be ready to safely house our elementary students as soon as case counts and transmission levels appropriately decline. We are constantly evaluating the situation with regard to our middle and high school students and remain committed to resuming in-person instruction for those students as soon as conditions allow.  

We understand that remote learning presents unique and difficult challenges for many of our families. We very much appreciate your patience and flexibility, and your support of our efforts to keep our staff, students and the entire EPS community as safe and healthy as possible. If your family or student is struggling with any aspect of remote learning, please reach out to your child’s teachers or principal for resources and support. We’re ready to help.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Polito, CPA

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

UPDATE - DECEMBER 18, 2020:

Dear Families,

I hope this letter finds you and yours healthy, happy and safe. As we prepare to head into our holiday break (Dec. 23-Jan. 3), we felt it was important to provide an update regarding district operations and student instruction.

In late November, we made the decision to continue 100 percent remote instruction for all students at least through December, based on guidance from the Erie County Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). PDE guidance recommends that all schools participate in remote learning when there is a substantial level of community spread of COVID-19, as there is now in Erie County. Further, PDE recommends that schools continue remote learning for two full weeks following an improvement from “substantial” community spread to “moderate” community spread. We will follow those guidelines in the interest of keeping our staff, students and families as safe and healthy as possible.

As we continue to monitor the effect of COVID-19 on our community and our district in particular, your child should be prepared to continue remote instruction for at least one week after classes resume on Monday, Jan. 4. The district will provide additional details regarding operations and instruction the week of January 4. Any decisions about operations and instruction following the holiday break will be made in consultation with the Erie County Department of Health and PDE and in keeping with the guidance of those agencies.

What can you do? Please stay connected to district communication channels, including our website (eriesd.org) and our Facebook page, for important updates. Our website also includes links to COVID-19 tracking tools developed by the state and updated weekly.

Most importantly, please continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Wash your hands often and thoroughly. Stay home when you can. All of these things mean that this holiday season will look and feel very different from those that came before, but it’s going to take all of working together to keep our community healthy and bring students back to classrooms.

I hope we can all celebrate the new year together, in person, soon. In the meantime, from my family to yours, best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season. Stay safe.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Polito, CPA

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 20, 2020:

Dear Families,

Based on the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases throughout Erie County, all students will continue to participate in 100% remote instruction through December. All in-person extracurricular activities, including winter sports, are postponed until further notice. We reached this decision in consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and Erie County Department of Health, whose experts believe this is the most responsible course forward under the current conditions.

We continue to believe that the classroom is the best learning environment for our students, and have made every effort to make in-person instruction possible, including developing a detailed Health and Safety Plan that reflects the guidance and recommendations of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and our local and state health agencies. Our main challenge now is simply the sheer scope of this pandemic in Erie County: the Pennsylvania Department of Education has labeled Erie County a county with substantial community transmission. In continuing remote instruction, we are following PDE’s health and safety guidelines for counties with substantial community transmission.

We will continue to monitor local conditions and consult with state and local health officials with the goal of returning to in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so. Current PDE guidance recommends that in-person instruction not resume until Erie County falls within the “moderate” range of community transmission for 14 consecutive days.

To monitor levels of community transmission and other COVID-19 data, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Level of Community Transmission Table and the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard, both of which are accessible via eriesd.org/reopen.

We recognize that other school districts in our region are making or have made different decisions regarding operations and instruction. We also recognize that the decision to continue remote learning will impact families’ lives and schedules. For our teachers, it means continuing to do the hard work of engaging our students in a new, challenging way on a daily basis. But our first, most important job is ensuring the health and safety of our staff and students, and the way we do that is to work closely with and listen to our health and safety experts at the local and state level.

Please follow the latest masking requirements and continue to practice safe social distancing. Wash your hands properly and thoroughly. Take your temperature before coming to work. If you do not feel well, stay home. If you come into contact with someone who is positive for COVID-19, is awaiting a COVID-19 test result, or has been exposed to COVID-19, please, stay home. Ensuring that our schools and buildings are safe and healthy places for our families is going to take all of us working together.

Thank you,

Brian J. Polito, CPA

Superintendent, Erie’s Public Schools

UPDATE - OCTOBER 30, 2020:

Dear Erie’s Public Schools family,

Based on your response to our online commitment form, your child will participate in either hybrid instruction or 100 percent remote instruction for the second quarter of the 2020-2021 school year.

Please log on to your school’s main Schoology page beginning at 4 p. m. on Monday, Nov. 2 to view detailed information about your child’s schedule, including any change in teacher assignment. This is the same page you accessed to complete the online commitment form.

If your child will continue to participate in 100 percent remote instruction:

Your child should continue to log into Schoology each school day to participate in both synchronous and asynchronous instruction as they have done during the first quarter of the school year.

If your child will participate in the hybrid model of instruction:

Your child will attend school in person on Monday through Thursday of one week. The following week, your child will participate in remote instruction Monday through Thursday. On all Fridays your child will participate in remote instruction.

For students participating in hybrid instruction, classes have been assigned to either the “purple” group or the “gold” group to help determine class schedules. You will find your child’s group assignment in the class roster on their school’s main Schoology page.

In-person instruction for students assigned to the purple group will begin Monday, Nov. 9. In-person instruction for students assigned to the gold group will begin Monday, Nov. 16. If you haven’t already, you will be receiving a calendar that outlines the hybrid instruction schedule through the second quarter of the school year.

The calendar is also available at eriesd.org/reopen.

A note about teacher assignments: Several factors, including the number of students who chose the hybrid model of instruction and the number of students who chose to continue remote instruction for the second quarter of the school year, required that we change teacher assignments in limited instances, for both hybrid and remote students. You can find your child’s teacher assignment in the class roster on their school’s main Schoology page.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to change every aspect of our district operations, but we, like you, remain committed to ensuring you and your children have the supports they need to succeed. You should continue to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions regarding attendance, academic progress or other concerns. For families awaiting transportation information: We are preparing that information for you now.

The district is constantly monitoring the pandemic and our response. We are in the process of developing parameters under which the district would close schools should the need arise, based on guidance from state and local health agencies. We will be communicating that information to you shortly. In the meantime, please review our Health and Safety Plan, available at eriesd.org/reopen, and stay connected to district information channels, including our website and Facebook page, for any updates on the status of our schools.

Thank you for everything you do to help make your child’s school year a success.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please call the assistant superintendent’s office at 874-6015.

Sincerely,

Brian J. Polito, CPA

Superintendent of Schools

Welcome back to another new school year, EPS family! We're so excited that we're together again, even if it's not in person. This school year is going to look a little different, and we know remote learning is going to present some challenges for our students and families. We're here to help you every step of the way. 

School begins remotely for all students on Tuesday, Sept. 8. All students are expected to log on to Schoology by the start of every school day. Are you ready? 

STEP ONE: Parents, please read this important letter from our teachers to better understand what remote instruction will look like. You can view sample school day schedules here. 

STEP TWO: Watch the videos below to make sure you're ready on Day One. Before you do, make sure you have the following information handy: 

• Your user name. This is your six-digit student ID number (same as your lunch number).
• Your password. Student passwords are assigned to students by their school and is the same password students used in the spring.

You'll need your user name and password to log into your Chromebook and to Schoology, which will serve as your online classroom. (Parents: If your child has forgotten their Student ID number or password or if your child is new to the district, please contact your school directly. Contact information for all schools can be found at eriesd.org/schools.) 

Joining Classes With Your iPad (PreK-1)

Click the image below to launch a video walkthrough.

1. Click on the Schoology shortcut icon on the iPad home screen. It looks like this: 
2. Click "Courses." 
3. Click on your class.
4. Click "Updates"
5. Click the link provided by your teacher to join the class.
6. Click "Open Link" if asked.
7. Wait until your teacher starts the class. 
8. Enter your name if asked

That's it, you're ready to go!

Joining Classes With Your Chromebook (Grades 2-12)

Click the image below to launch a video walkthrough.

1. Log into your Chromebook using your username and password. 
2. Click on the Schoology shortcut icon on the main screen. It looks like this: 
3. Click "Courses." 
4. Click on your class.
5. Click "Updates"
6. Click the link provided by your teacher to join the class.
7. Click "Open Link" if asked.
8. Wait until your teacher starts the class. 
9. Enter your name if asked.

That's it, you're ready to go!

If you're having trouble and need help after watching these videos, call our Helpline at 874-6801 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on school days. We'll get you connected to the right person to help! See our Troubleshooting Quick Tips here.