Active covid-19 cases continue to decrease in the Leechburg Area School District.
Superintendent Tiffany Nix said there have been no active cases reported since Feb. 12.
The district added a covid tracker to its website earlier this month that displays the latest, year-to-date and inactive positive covid-19 cases for the elementary, middle and high school.
The first positive case in the district was reported on Nov. 16.
There have been 17 year-to-date cases reported in grades K-12.
The tracker data is updated as positive cases are added and cases move past the 10 days of being active.
Nix credited the over-and-above cleaning efforts of the custodial crew for contributing to the decrease.
“Cases are down in both counties. Spraying everyday and deep cleaning on Wednesdays has been very helpful,” Nix said.
Armstrong and Westmoreland counties have dropped from a “substantial” risk to “moderate” risk of covid-19 transmission.
The district enrolls 750 students in grades K-12 from both Armstrong and Westmoreland counties.
“Our students have done an amazing job of following CDC guidelines and it truly has been a team effort,” Nix said.
State officials recommend school officials evaluate the extent of community spread of covid-19 in determining whether students are taught in-person or remotely.
Ultimately, local school leaders make the decision on academic instruction for their district.
The district plans to continue with in-person instruction daily except Wednesdays, when students are taught virtually, until the end of the school year.
“We’ve stayed ahead of it (covid cases) because of the precautions and extra cleaning,” said school board president Neill Brady.
While students are home on Wednesdays learning via Google Classroom or with Chromebooks, the custodial crew, led by maintenance supervisor Gino Geminetti, sanitizes and disinfects all buildings on campus.
Brady said Nix provides him with daily updates on covid-conditions in the district.
“It seem to be working. To stop what we’re doing now would be a poor decision,” Brady said.
