Keystone Central Opens in the Age of COVID-19

RecordStaffSeptember 1, 2020Last Updated: September 1, 2020

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A familiar sight as Keystone Central opened its doors for the new school year Tuesday: Stephen Hanna, a staff member at the Central Mountain Middle School, checked the temperature of two arriving students; all three wearing masks, as required by the school district.

MILL HALL – It was a totally new environment as the Keystone Central School District opened for the new school year on Tuesday morning. Mask-wearing students arriving for classes had their temperatures checked before entering their schools and special safety precautions were in effect inside, all due to the COVID-19 pandemic which had closed the schools to in-class instruction in March of this year.

A sizeable majority of students are returning to their schools for in-class teaching, but a significant number also will be learning online, either from the district or a cyber school. Tuesday was the first day of a “soft opening” for classes: half the kindergarten students and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 reporting; on Wednesday the other half of kindergarten students and grades 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 will report. On Thursday, Sept. 3, all grades will attend (for those choosing from the in-school options).