After closing the high and middle schools Friday, Bellefonte will resume in-person learning Monday
After closing the middle and high school buildings Friday, the Bellefonte Area School District will reopen for in-person learning Monday.
The district notified families, staff and students Thursday night that two individuals — an adult at the middle school and a student at the high school — tested positive for the coronavirus. In response, the middle and high schools were closed Friday. All four elementary buildings remained open.
Interim Superintendent Tammie Burnaford notified parents of the positive cases Thursday night and said the school would work with the state Department of Health to conduct contact tracing and notify those who should self-isolate or quarantine.
“The number of persons who may have been in close contact is minimal at this time,” Burnaford said in a follow-up message Friday.
Middle and high school students attended classes remotely on Friday. Buildings and buses will undergo a deep cleaning over the weekend.
Barring no new cases, Burnaford said the DOH granted permission for the district to reopen to in-person learning Monday as well as resume athletics and extracurricular activities. Friday night’s football game at Huntingdon is also still on, Athletic Director Deb Moore confirmed. District families will receive additional information over the weekend.
These are the first reported cases among district students and staff since the schools reopened for in-person learning in August.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:22 PM.
