Pittsburgh Public Schools activates emergency response plan amid school closures

Pittsburgh Public Schools has activated its emergency response plan because of the state-ordered closure during the covid-19 outbreak, the district announced Sunday.

“As a large urban district, we have to be prepared for any public safety crisis. Fortunately, significant planning has been underway in anticipation of the need to close school to stop the spread of covid-19,” district Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said in a statement.

Student meals will still be available at 54 school locations, as well as the district’s two alternative schools and stand-alone Early Childhood Education Centers.

According to a news release, meals will be distributed between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, until March 20.

Food service workers will be on-site from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday this week. The district will evaluate student participation in the first week of closure, to determine regional sites for the second week.

The district will also provide optional grade-level activity packets starting Wednesday. The packets will be available on Schoology, the district’s online education portal.

Essential personnel will report to work Monday, despite the closures. School nurses will be in on Monday and Tuesdayto distribute students’ medications to their parents. Teachers may voluntarily report to their buildings to pick up materials Monday or Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All semimonthly employees and biweekly employees of the district will continue to be paid during the closure.

The district does not anticipate an interruption to its spring break, which is scheduled for April 6-13.