New Kensington-Arnold students will return to schools next week, superintendent says

New Kensington-Arnold School District will resume in-person instruction for students on Monday, Acting Superintendent Jon Banko said Wednesday.

The district moved all students to remote instruction for the week of Nov. 2 on the advice of state officials citing Westmoreland County as having a substantial rate of community coronavirus spread.

“Countywide numbers are down for a second week in a row, and while the local ZIP code numbers are up, they are still among the lowest in Westmoreland County and include communities outside of Arnold and New Kensington,” Banko said of the district’s decision to have students return.

A representative of the state Department of Health could not immediately be reached for comment.

On Wednesday, Westmoreland County reported 90 new coronavirus cases and two deaths, according to the health department. The county has had 4,761 cases since March and 111 deaths.

On Wednesday, 13.57% of tests for coronavirus were coming back positive.

A student at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School in Arnold recently tested positive for coronavirus, according to the district. The student was quarantined and will remain out of school until medically allowed to return.

New Kensington-Arnold started the school year with students in schools five days a week, with an option for parents to have their children working remotely if they did not want to send them to district buildings.

Parents who had their children start the school year remotely were given the option of sending them back to schools on Oct. 5.

The next return date will be Tuesday, Nov. 10, Banko said.

“We will be able to accommodate everyone,” he said.

While families can send students back to schools only at opportunities provided by the district, Banko said parents are able to remove their children from schools in favor of the online program at any time.