Highlands High School students to return to building next week, superintendent says

Highlands School District plans to have students return to its high school for classes on Monday, Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said Thursday.

The district closed the high school and canceled all after-school activities this week after a covid-19 case resulted in a significant number of required quarantines.

Greensburg Salem Superintendent Gary Peiffer said his district was notified Oct. 28 that a Highlands defensive football player had tested positive. Highlands had played Greensburg Salem the Friday before, Oct. 23, in its last game of the season.

All Highlands students have been attending classes remotely this week.

The district is using a hybrid schedule, in which students are divided into two groups that are each in schools two days a week and work remotely the other three days. All students work remotely on Fridays.

Mawhinney did not comment on the resumption of after-school activities.

The district’s Early Childhood Center, elementary and middle school were not affected and operated normally.

At Greensburg Salem, Peiffer said 14 students playing offense on its football team were encouraged to quarantine and get tested, but he did not know if all had been tested.

“Nobody has come back with a positive test or been symptomatic, so we’ve been very fortunate,” he said.

Like Highlands, Greensburg Salem is also operating under a hybrid format, with an option for complete remote instruction.