The District is grateful for the combined efforts of our students, families and staff to create a safe environment where in-person learning has been able to occur for our students. The rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the area is of great concern to both the school district and local health officials. Subsequent to the increased number of cases, the new state-issued restrictions, and the impact this has on our staff, we will temporarily return to five-day remote instruction beginning Monday, November 23 and continue through Friday, December 4. We plan to monitor local conditions and bring students back to school Monday, December 7.
In an effort to keep parents and families informed of COVID-19 cases within the school community, a COVID tracker and dashboard has been added to the District website. This tracker can be found under the OUR DISTRICT tab > COVID-19 Resources: https://www.carlynton.k12.pa.us/our_district/c_o_v_i_d-19_resources. The dashboard will be updated weekly and will show the number of active or retired cases, numbers of individuals who are quarantined, and a breakdown by school building.
At the school board meeting of November 17, Superintendent John Kreider provided a short presentation to better inform families of the steps being taken within our schools to maintain a safe learning environment. The presentation, which can be found by CLICKING HERE, also offers strategies to keep students engaged while learning remotely.
Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released new orders to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Some of these new orders will have a direct impact on how the District operates. Pennsylvania residents traveling out of state or to an international location, must produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to entering Pennsylvania, or quarantine for 14 days upon reentry. This order takes effect November 20 and will remain in place until further notice. Families who plan to travel out-of-state in the upcoming weeks should notify the building principal in order for the District to properly prepare as they determine return-to-school dates.
During remote learning, we ask families to please continue to reach out to building principals or school nurses to keep them informed of positive cases in a household. If anyone in the home is being tested for COVID-19, please keep children home until all test results are negative or everyone is cleared by a doctor or the health department. COVID symptoms in children and teens often resemble a common cold, such as minor congestion, headache, sore throat, and a light cough. Therefore, we continue to ask parents to keep their child at home if they have mild cold-like symptoms.
We also ask parents to continue to encourage children to maintain regular remote attendance by logging onto their Google Classroom and establish a daily routine. Engage in conversations about their coursework and assist them in meeting established due dates for homework and other assignments. Teachers will continue to be available during office hours to assist students with their coursework.
We thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation in the midst of these unprecedented times.