Freeport Area School District announces remote instruction after covid-19 spike

Freeport Area School District has moved middle and high school students to online-only learning this week after a spike in covid-19 cases, both in the district and Armstrong County.

Freeport Area said it has 116 students in quarantine, including 103 from the middle school and high school, according to information posted on the district’s website. Seven teachers also are quarantined, including four from the middle school and high school, the letter said.

The middle school and high school have had four active covid-19 cases among them in the past week. Students in grades six through 12 attend the schools.

Superintendent Ian Magness didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends that schools in counties considered to have a “substantial” risk of covid-19 transmission move to fully remote learning. The district spans parts of Armstrong and Butler Counties, both of which are in the “substantial” risk category, as defined by having an average incidence rate higher than 100 cases per 100,000 residents for a span of seven days.

In Butler County, the incidence rate is 188.9 cases per 100,000 residents. In Armstrong County, the incidence rate is 295.7 cases per 100,000 residents — the ninth-highest rate in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Currently, the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus is 10.1% in Butler County and 15.2% in Armstrong County, state data show. A rate of above 10% also is considered a “substantial” risk level.

Freeport’s elementary schools are scheduled to remain on their normal schedules this week.

District officials said they will reevaluate conditions next week.

The district also announced a mitigation strategy following Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

Fridays will remain asynchronous remote learning days throughout the district.

Buffalo and South Buffalo Elementary Schools will engage in fully remote learning from Dec. 1 through Dec. 3 before returning to face-to-face instruction on Dec. 7.

The middle and high schools will have fully remote instruction Dec. 1 through Dec. 3, followed by hybrid instruction from Dec. 7 through Dec. 10. They will return to in-person learning Dec. 14.

Following the Christmas and New Year’s break, elementary students are scheduled for fully remote learning from Jan. 4 through Jan. 7. They will return to face-to-face classes on Jan. 11.

In the middle and high schools, students will participate in a fully remote model from Jan. 4 through Jan. 7. They’ll transition to a hybrid format from Jan. 11 through Jan. 14 before returning to in-person learning on Jan. 19.