Current substantial risk levels in McKean County have required school districts to make a choice on how to proceed with student education. Port Allegany School District is planning to continue with in-person instruction Dec. 1. However, officials also are ready to adjust the learning model if it becomes necessary.
A letter from Superintendent Gary Buchsen explains that the school board approved option 1 of the two provided to Pennsylvania’s school districts by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The first option allows schools to continue with in-person instruction for either all students or some students, as long as the district agrees to follow universal face covering and related guidelines issued by the state health department. A letter stating this decision must be signed by the superintendent and the president of the school board and submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by Nov. 30.
The Port Allegany school board met Wednesday and submitted the required form.
The second option from the state education department is to transition to fully remote learning and not return to in-person instruction until the county has not been at substantial risk for a two-week period.
One other stipulation of the option Port Allegany will follow is the necessity to adhere to guidelines set for the district in the case of a student testing positive for COVID-19. Under those guidelines, the district may be required to close one or both buildings for a period anywhere from three to 14 days following the report of a positive COVID-19 test. This is dependent on the number of positive tests, the number of students in the district and the rolling 14-day average of positive cases in both students and staff.
“It is the full expectation that the Port Allegany School District will be open for in-person instruction Tuesday, Dec. 1. However, it is unlikely that we will make it through the winter months without seeing some type of interruption,” the letter reads. “Families should prepare in advance for this expected disruption in one or both of our buildings.”
Smethport Area School District also continues in-person instruction. However, the district’s families received a letter sent by the elementary and high school nurses this month. The letter, shared with parents Nov. 19, recognized that the district has made it through 12 weeks of school and continues to focus on keeping students safe. It also outlines a plan of action going forward.
The letter advises that any student with two symptoms out of the following list be kept home from school: temperature of 100 degrees or higher, headache, fatigue, nausea, muscle aches and pains, chills, sore throat, diarrhea, congestion or feeling cold or shivering. This is part of the district’s updated Health and Safety plan, which also states the student will be required to stay home from school for 10 days from the onset of these symptoms.
The letter also requests that families notify the school in the event that a student has tested positive for COVID-19 or been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Also, the letter requests that students who live in a household with someone that is being tested for COVID-19 stay home until that family member receives the results.
