As small groups of students begin returning to our school buildings, I am sure many of you are thinking about how—and when—we will report COVID-19 in our school community. It does us no good to “hide” cases with the potential for exposure, as that risks spread that will shut down our schools.
In every case, when members of our school community test positive for COVID-19, we will follow direction from the PA Department of Health (DOH) on notification. In some cases, the DOH will likely advise us not to provide public notice.
Our intention is to have students in school, in person as much as is safely possible. We will respond aggressively to isolate COVID-19 cases, and we will err on the side of caution. We encourage any students, parents or staff who are diagnosed or know of a case, to contact their school nurse immediately. If we learn of a case that the DOH believes poses a risk to students and/or staff, we or the DOH will notify you ASAP.
However, there may also be cases where the risk of spread is minimal. For example, consider teachers who are teaching from home, students who have not yet returned to the classroom, or employees who do not encounter others in the course of their work. In these cases, we will respect the privacy of our employees and students.
Please keep this in mind as you inevitably hear rumors. Remember, hiding cases would defeat our purpose of having students in school. Likewise, it conflicts with our priority to keep students and staff as safe as possible. We again encourage you to visit the Back to School section of our website for much more information on this and other health protocols.
We recognize that this is a difficult time. We all want what is best for our children. We are grateful for our community’s continued understanding and support.