Greater Latrobe loses senior high staffer to covid-19, reacts to state directive

A staff member at Greater Latrobe Senior High has died of complications of covid-19, according to the school district.

Superintendent Georgia Teppert stated in an email sent to district faculty and staff on Thanksgiving Day that district officials learned Terri Sherwin, a senior high secretary, died Wednesday evening from covid-19 complications.

Teppert described Sherwin as “a wonderful employee who will be missed by the entire GLSD family.”

She said grief counselors were on hand at the high school Friday to help staff who are coping with the loss and will be available again in person or virtually on Monday.

The school board on Wednesday voted to have Teppert and board President Dr. Michael Zorch sign an attestation form concerning Greater Latrobe’s instructional model that state officials now require of districts in areas that have been in the “substantial” range of covid-19 transmission levels for at least two consecutive weeks. Covid-19 case levels in Westmoreland County have been on the rise for several weeks, keeping the county in the substantial category — with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents — for the week that ended Thursday.

A new state directive issued on Monday requires all such districts by the end of November to state that they have either transitioned to full remote learning for students, or that they will comply with covid-19 safety measures if they are offering in-person instruction.

Teppert later clarified that Wednesday’s board action merely affirmed that Greater Latrobe will follow state-mandated covid-19 health and safety measures if it opts to continue in-person lessons.

She indicated that vote did not commit the district to continuing instruction in a bricks-and-mortar setting. She said the school board is expected to review its instructional model on Tuesday, when it holds its annual reorganization and monthly committee-of-the-whole meetings.

Since Nov. 16, Greater Latrobe students have had the choice to attend in-person classes five days per week or receive full-time remote instruction.

“You can either sign this attestation, saying that you’re going to stay in school but you’re going to follow the new guidelines that they just put out, or you can attest that you’re going to transition to a fully remote learning model,” Solicitor Ned Nakles told the board.

Nakles said the new state directive confirms that the decision to offer in-person instruction is one local school boards can make, but he noted that could change if Greater Latrobe were to receive a direct order from Pennsylvania officials to close its schools.

“This is always a fluid situation, and things could change,” he said. “Every time we think we have this tiger by the tail, we get some new guidance.”

State mitigation requirements call for students and staff to maintain social distancing and to wear face coverings while in district buildings.

School board member Heidi Kozar, who voted against Wednesday’s decision, expressed doubt that either requirement can be followed to the letter.

She said there are classrooms at the junior high that don’t allow for maintaining 6 feet of social distance. She also said staff can’t constantly watch students to make sure they’re wearing face masks properly and keeping their distance from each other.

“It makes me very nervous,” she said. She also voiced concern about the potential for transmitting the virus after students may have “gone off to the four winds” for Thanksgiving.

Teppert acknowledged there are junior high classrooms that provide less than 6 feet of social distancing, but she noted desk dividers provide additional protection. She said all instructional areas allow for more than 4 feet of distancing, which she indicated falls within a World Health Organization recommendation for distancing of between 3 feet and 6 feet.

Teppert has noted families have been asked to alert district administrators of any plans for students to travel outside the area.

Nakles noted district officials have been initiating contact tracing for any student or staff member who has tested positive for covid-19, rather than waiting for state officials to handle the task.

The district reported two active covid-19 cases among students and six among staff, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Three district parents spoke in favor of keeping students in classrooms at Wednesday’s special meeting.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Saturday to include the superintendent’s clarification of Wednesday’s school board vote.