Chartiers Valley reports 4 new covid cases this week, switching to remote instruction
The Chartiers Valley School District reported four new positive covid-19 cases this week and will temporarily switch to full-remote learning until early December.
The change is scheduled to begin on Nov. 23 and will be in effect through Dec. 4. Students will return a blend of online and in-person instruction on Dec. 7.
Schools are closed between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Details about the move to virtual learning are contained in a letter distributed Wednesday afternoon to families by Superintendent Johannah Vanatta. The letter also is posted on the district’s website.
The district was notified Nov. 15 that two people at the elementary school level tested positive and are presumed to have been infected while in school.
On Nov. 16, two people at the high school tested positive. School officials said the virus was not transmitted at school and the two people who were infected were last in the building on Nov. 11. They did not develop symptoms until several days later.
The timeline means that nobody at the school was exposed to the virus because of close contact with an infected person.
The latest cases brings the total of active cases in the district to nine.
District officials said they are working with the Allegheny County Health Department to identify students and staff who may have had close contact with people who test positive for covid.
People who test positive are not permitted in school buildings while they are in quarantine.
The Allegheny County Health Department recommends a quarantine period of 14 days, but notes that most infections occur within the first few days after exposure.
The individuals who tested positive, as well as those who have been in close contact, will not be present in school buildings for the duration of their quarantine, as directed by the Allegheny County Health Department.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone who has covid-19 for 15 minutes or longer.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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