Wilkinsburg closing 2 schools because of potential coronavirus exposure

Wilkinsburg School District announced Thursday it is closing Kelly Primary School and Turner Intermediate School on Friday and Monday due to a potential exposure to covid-19.

Wilkinsburg Superintendent Linda J. Iverson said the district became aware that a staff member was in contact with a staff member at Colfax K-8 in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Colfax, in Squirrel Hill, was closed Thursday after officials learned a student may have been exposed to the coronavirus from a relative outside the school.

“We have made the decision to close the district to disinfect all buildings,” Iverson said in a letter to Wilkinsburg parents. “We have hired an external company to complete a deep disinfectant cleaning using an electrostatic machine.”

There are no known cases of covid-19 in Allegheny County right now. Iverson said the Wilkinsburg district is taking preventive measures to ensure the health and safety of all faculty, staff and students.

Students are scheduled to return to school in Wilkinsburg on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, St. Bede School, a Catholic K-8 school in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, sent two students home Thursday after officials learned they have relatives enrolled at Colfax. Later Thursday, the school announced it will close Friday and Monday for cleaning. Students, for now, are scheduled to go back to school on Tuesday.