Highlands School District students will stay home the remainder of the week.
Frigid temperatures, combined with the aftermath of Sunday’s monster snowfall, prompted the decision for remote learning through Friday, administrators said.
“Conducting remote learning all week was not expected,” Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said. “The safety of our students and staff will always remain the priority. I am confident our teachers will continue to provide effective instruction throughout the week and that our administrators will continue to provide support as needed.”
National Weather Service Meteorologist Bill Modzelewsky said temperatures are expected to drop below freezing at night and climb only to about 10 to 15 degrees during the day.
“That’s pretty much every day this week,” he said.
“As we get into the weekend, it might be slightly warmer, maybe into the upper teens.”
At-home learning will keep students out of the elements but will also give time for roads across the region to be cleared from the foot or so of snow that was dumped.
Harrison, Brackenridge and Tarentum all issued emergency declarations in response to the storm. As of Tuesday, Tarentum officials said public works crews were still plowing and salting as they had been continuously since Saturday.
Mawhinney said several district staffers were stranded by snow.
“This is a unique weather situation,” she said. “We have employees traveling from all parts of the county so I have to take into consideration the state of their roads.
“For example, the City of Pittsburgh was declared a state of emergency, and several of our employees have indicated that their side streets or alleys have not even been plowed.”
With the low temperatures and the snow somewhat frozen, several employees are not able to get out of their driveways or side streets, she said.
“More importantly, the bus stop areas are unsafe due to the amount of snow plowed onto the sidewalks,” Mawhinney said.
Highlands is the first district across the Alle-Kiski Valley to pivot to remote learning through the week after most scheduled flexible instruction Monday and Tuesday.
New Ken-Arnold and Plum each have announced remote learning for Wednesday.
Students should follow remote learning procedures. No transportation will be provided for out‑of‑district schools, including Forbes Road Career and Technology Center.
The adult swim program, open to the pubic, is also canceled. It will resume Monday.
