State College Area School District reports 3 COVID-19 cases among students
Now in its second week of districtwide remote learning, the State College Area School District has confirmed three COVID-19 cases among students, and officials believe more are likely to come.
Superintendent Bob O’Donnell notified district families of the coronavirus cases in an email sent Monday, saying that the school is now dealing with the virus “on a more personal level.” Due to privacy laws, SCASD is unable to release further information about the individuals who have contracted the coronavirus but said district nurses are working with their families.
One case has been reported in a high school student who has not been in any district building this academic year, according to O’Donnell. The other two are students at Mount Nittany Elementary, and through contract tracing, O’Donnell said no close contacts were made by these students that were connected to the district.
“These cases reiterate the importance of filling out the Reporting Positive Student COVID-19 Cases Form if one of your children tests positive for COVID-19, even while we’re in fully remote instruction,” O’Donnell wrote. “We are continually evaluating data, and the information supplied by this form will help further inform our decision making. As always, the health and safety of our school community will be paramount with everything we do.”
Cases in the district will be added to the school COVID-19 dashboard.
“Looking ahead, we presume that it’s likely we’ll have more positive tests in our district among our students and employees,” O’Donnell said.
SCASD has been operating remotely for the past week due to a rise in coronavirus case numbers — most of which are connected to Penn State students.
The board of directors voted last week to ease opening and closing guidelines in the district health and safety plan, but the school has not yet announced when it will return to in-person instruction.
“We wish the best for the affected families and hope for swift recoveries,” O’Donnell wrote.
Last week, a student at Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School was confirmed to have had COVID-19. The Bald Eagle Area School District reported one case confirmed in a district employee Sunday.
