State College students to stay home Friday as administrators monitor community COVID-19 data
State College students will have their first “snow day” of the school year on Friday as educators monitor COVID-19 data in the surrounding community.
The State College Area School District board of directors met virtually Wednesday to reevaluate closure protocols outlined in its reopening plan. After 108 new coronavirus cases were reported in district boundaries over the past week, officials had to consider making a switch to districtwide remote learning per health guidelines. With no confirmed cases among district students or staff, officials were hesitant to make the change and close facilities.
But on Friday, students will stay home as educators monitor data and consider how long the closure will last — following a 5-4 vote, with board members Daniel Duffy, Scott Fozard, David Hutchinson and Jim Leous voting against the motion.
Though the majority of new coronavirus cases reported in Centre County have been connected to Penn State students and their return to campus for in-person learning, board members wanted to balance safety and avoid potential community outbreaks in the district. Penn State students who test positive are put in isolation, while those who are probable cases or awaiting results quarantine.
According to the health and safety plan, district officials must consider closing schools once 50-75 case numbers are reported in district ZIP codes over a one-week period. But with more information and research months into the pandemic, educators said the “conservative” plan might not be the best guide to make decisions.
Now that schools are open, Superintendent Bob O’Donnell said he is confident in the operating procedures of both SCASD and Penn State. But to preserve the otherwise healthy school population, O’Donnell — along with the health and safety team — will monitor community data in the coming days and update instruction accordingly.
“We knew that we were opening schools at the same time Penn State was opening,” board President Amber Concepcion said. “We knew there would be a growth curve.”
But those numbers might change, she said.
Penn State Vice President for Government and Community Relations Zack Moore said the university conducted over 20,000 tests on students before they came to campus. So far, 69 positive cases have been reported at University Park since the students have returned, according to the university dashboard.
With most students complying with masking and social distancing rules, Moore said no employees have tested positive for the coronavirus — meaning that there has been no transmission from students to staff.
Over the next few weeks, Concepcion said Penn State numbers could stabilize and become “more predictable.”
Penn State associate professor of biology Maciej Boni said that prediction is a “probable scenario.” But for now, Boni said the numbers are not sending “a message of good news and optimism.”
“They’re likely to go up,” he added.
O’Donnell said families will continue to receive updates as information and data become clearer. Classes will not be held on Friday, and students are not expected to participate in remote instruction.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 1:04 AM.
