State College students to switch to remote learning until further notice due to area COVID spike
After having a “snow day” on Friday, all State College Area School District students will switch to learning remotely, starting next week.
With 37 new coronavirus cases reported on Friday, Centre County reached the state Department of Health’s “substantial level” — the highest level of community transmission of the coronavirus. In this stage, the state recommends all county schools revert to “full remote learning.” According to the DOH’s early warning dashboard, Centre County has the second-highest incidence rate in the state per 100,000 residents in the most recent week.
Earlier this week, the board of directors voted to approve a “snow day” of no instruction on Friday, so officials could monitor case numbers in the community, most of which are connected to Penn State students.
SCASD Superintendent Bob O’Donnell notified families of the change in a letter sent Friday.
“Fully remote is certainly not where we want to be, and I can assure you that our goal is to get students back in schools as soon as possible,” he wrote. “Currently, we are working on a return-to-school plan that would include specific guidelines for allowing us to safely resume in-school learning.”
A decision will be made Sept. 11 as to whether students and staff will be permitted in school facilities for the week of Sept. 14-18.
“Moving forward, our goal is to operate on a week-by-week basis with the decision for the next week made on Fridays,” O’Donnell wrote.
The district plans to make meals available to those in need next week. Additional information will be provided by the district’s Food Services Department.
“By any measure, this is an extremely disappointing turn of events, but our faculty and staff are among the best in the state, and they will do their best to provide students with engaging and challenging learning experiences,” O’Donnell wrote.
Due to the holiday, instruction will be synchronous remote learning Tuesday-Friday next week.
“Thank you for hanging in there through this trying time as we respond to a dynamic situation and plan the safest course of action for our school community,” O’Donnell wrote.
