Following 5 new COVID-19 cases, Bellefonte high school building to remain closed
With six new COVID-19 cases reported in the district, Bellefonte high schoolers are learning remotely this week.
Over Thanksgiving break, the district confirmed five additional coronavirus cases at the high school — four students and one staff member. As a result, the building will remain closed to in-person instruction through Friday, Interim Superintendent Tammie Burnaford told families in a letter Sunday night. All other buildings will remain open, and high school staff and students are scheduled to return Dec. 7.
“Out of an abundance of caution and an attempt to follow the law, the high school will move to remote learning through this week (Dec. 1-4),” Burnaford wrote in an update. “High school teachers will be teaching virtually and will be available all day long virtually.”
Last week’s new statewide mitigation efforts required schools to comply with updated protocols and sign an attestation form stating that they have either transitioned to fully remote learning or are complying with orders. Schools that did not sign or comply with an attestation were required to switch to a fully remote learning model.
According to Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines, the high school, a “medium-sized building,” must close due to the increased case numbers.
One new case was reported among a Pleasant Gap Elementary student, and two presumed positive cases — one student and one staff member — were reported at the middle school.
“Some new cases did not have any contact tracing implications because the persons haven’t been in school, and schools have been closed for the break,” Burnaford wrote. “However, a few of these new cases did require contact tracing.”
Parents of students who need to quarantine have been contacted by principals and administrators, and Burnaford said the district is monitoring the presumed positive cases and will conduct contact tracing if needed.
Prior to the holiday break, parents and guardians were asked to voluntarily quarantine their students if they could have been exposed to the disease over Thanksgiving.
“I know this is an inconvenience for parents, and unfortunately, things can change on a moment’s notice,” Burnaford wrote. “We have worked together so well to get us to this time.”
