Leechburg schools report first student covid-19 case

A Leechburg Area School District student in grades 7-12 has tested positive for covid-19, Leechburg Superintendent Tiffany Nix said Monday in an email to district parents.

It is the district’s first positive case. The district did not identify the infected or say what grade he or she is in.

“Leechburg Area will continue to remain open and no one will need to quarantine based on the date the student was last in school. This person was last on campus on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020,” Nix wrote.

The district will continue with in-person instruction daily except Wednesdays, when students are taught virtually, until the end of the school year or it is deemed to be unsafe to do so, the district said.

Sports and activities such as musical rehearsals will continue, Nix said.

Students in the district reside in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties, both of which are deemed by the state Department of Health to have a “substantial” risk of covid-19 transmission. A county with a “substantial” risk level has an average incidence rate of more than 100 cases per 100,000 for a span of seven days.

In Armstrong County, the rate is 295.7 cases per 100,000 people — the ninth-highest rate in Pennsylvania — and Westmoreland County’s rate is 144.3 per 100,000 residents, state data show.

Also, the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus is 15.2% in Armstrong County and 8.2% in Westmoreland County, according to the state. A rate of above 10% is considered a “substantial” risk level.

The state Department of Health recommends that schools in counties with a “substantial” risk level move to fully remote learning.

Nix said the district will continue with the current educational model at least until the next school board meeting on Dec. 2.

“I will present the most updated data to the school board and review educational models and then let them choose which option they prefer,” Nix said. “It’s too early for me to predict what the data or best model will be, as this pandemic is changing daily and what I say at this moment could be obsolete in an hour.”

Enhanced cleaning procedures continue

While students learn remotely on Wednesdays via Chromebooks and Google Classroom, all school buildings are sanitized and cleaned.

“Our custodial crew has been working tirelessly to clean our facilities for the health of everyone,” Nix said Tuesday. “Wednesday as a virtual day allows them the extra time needed to make sure that it is done correctly and thoroughly.

Nix said the district is doing everything it can to keep the school doors open, but urged parents to “be prepared for childcare should we need to shut down face-to-face instruction with little to no warning,” she wrote.

She reminded district residents to continue following covid-19 guidelines such as wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.

Nix described the students as being “amazing” at following the school covid-19 rules.

“We will continue to keep our community informed in these ever-changing times,” Nix wrote.

District residents with coronavirus-related questions may contact Nix at tnix@leechburg.k12.pa.us.