COVID Case Count and Closure FAQ

What happens if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

Upon notification of a positive case of COVID-19, school administration will notify parents/guardians of students who were in the same classroom, bus, extracurricular activity, etc. via the Skyward Message Center. This notification is to provide information relating to any possible exposure and not a direction to quarantine your child.

District custodial services and/or the District’s bus contractor will continue with mitigation efforts and thoroughly clean and disinfect all potentially exposed areas.

When will the District consider closing schools to in-person instruction?

The District will follow the guidelines of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which have been revised since the 2020-2021 school year. The District is expected to monitor positive COVID exposures for each building and to consult with the Department of Health in the event any of the thresholds for recommended closure are reached. Like last year, the District will abide by recommendations for building closures made by the Department of Health.

The Department of Health recommends up to a 14-day suspension of in-person learning if one of two criteria are met:

1. The number of confirmed cases in a 14-day window are greater than 5% of the total number of students and staff in the building.

2. Transmission between two or more students/staff/teachers without other identified epidemiological links in 3 or more classrooms and/or core groups (i.e., teams, band, etc.).

The 5% threshold (number of cases) for each building in the District is as follows:

Building	# of Staff	# of Students	Total	5%
Senior High	175	1513	1688	84
Junior High	119	834	953	48
Clearview	38	332	370	19
LJM	88	691	779	39
Locust Grove	49	413	462	23
Mazie Gable	62	516	578	29
NHW	35	244	279	14
Pleasant View	61	417	478	24

Will my child have to stay at home if we are notified of a positive case of COVID-19 in their classroom, bus, or extracurricular activity?

The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be conducting contact tracing investigations after being notified of a positive case of COVID in a classroom, bus, or extracurricular activity and will make quarantine recommendations, if appropriate. If you are notified of a positive case in your child’s classroom, bus, or extracurricular activity, we ask that you closely monitor your child’s health and keep your child home if he or she is exhibiting symptoms. We strongly advise parents to consult with your child’s healthcare provider if any symptoms arise that are new and/or not explained by another reason. For more information on COVID-19 symptoms and testing, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website by clicking HERE.

If your child is NOT exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, you may elect to send their child to school as usual. Due to the potential exposure, we highly recommend having your child wear a face covering for extracurricular activities the next fourteen days after potential exposure.

If you decide to keep your child at home for quarantining purposes or because your child is exhibiting symptoms, please inform your child’s school building main office immediately.

Guidelines for quarantine and isolation of close contacts and positive cases can be found HERE.

What should I do if my child is positive for COVID-19?

Please immediately notify the main office of your child’s school building and provide a doctor’s note or notification of a positive test result. Your child will be required to isolate for ten days from the date of the onset of symptoms or from the date of the positive test, if asymptomatic.

We highly encourage you and/or your child to communicate with your child’s teacher(s) regarding schoolwork and any missed assignments. If your child is feeling well enough, they may complete schoolwork provided by their teacher(s). Parents/guardians may come to their child’s school to pick up any work assignments that cannot be provided or completed electronically.