Jeannette schools will hold 2 days of virtual learning after Thanksgiving break

Jeannette School District students will have two remote learning days after the Thanksgiving holiday in what school district officials said is an effort to reduce the potential exposure of the coronavirus.

Students will resume classes Dec. 1 and 2 with remote learning both days after a fall break. In-person classes will start Dec. 3, according to a letter from Superintendent Matthew Jones.

The two remote learning days were implemented in an effort to give students “additional isolation time” after fall break and Thanksgiving, Jones said.

Students will be dismissed early on Nov. 25 and fall break runs through Nov. 30.

Jones pointed to the recent increase in coronavirus cases locally as a reason for the decision. The school district has had very few cases thus far, he has said.

Westmoreland County has been setting records recently in the number of positive cases. The most new cases since the pandemic started in March — 228 — came Wednesday, as did the highest seven-day case average with 174, according to state health department figures.

Total cases and deaths stand at 6,649 and 143, respectively. More than 58,000 people have tested negative, according to state data.

The percent of positive virus tests in the county also continues to increase. At the beginning of October, the overall positivity rate in Westmoreland County was 4.76%. On Wednesday, it was 8.41%.

The transmission risk for the county is at a “substantial” level, according to the state’s Early Warning Monitoring System. The state Department of Health recommends that school districts switch to full remote learning when a county falls into the “substantial” category.