Norwin closes 1 school on Thursday; post-Thanksgiving surge hits 65 cases
Norwin is closing its Hillcrest Intermediate School on Thursday as the post-Thanksgiving surge of the virus has reached 65 cases.
The school district announced Wednesday afternoon the school, which has about 860 fifth- and sixth-graders with more than 60 faculty members, will be closed as a result of contract tracing.
Since Dec. 1, the students have been receiving instruction in a hybrid model — two days in school and three at home with virtual instruction. For Thursday, the students will be instructed in an synchronous manner, the district said.
The school has been sanitized and will be deep-cleaned, the district.
It plans to bring the staff and one-half of the student body — normal under the hybrid model — back to school on Friday, with the other half receiving the synchronous instruction. The decision to return to school will be confirmed by 3 p.m. Thursday.
Norwin said it is working with the state Department of Health to complete contact tracing. Anyone determined to be in close contact to an infected person will be contacted.
The closing comes as one Hillcrest staff member and two students were reported to be among the eight students and staff who notified Norwin they had tested positive for coronavirus.
One high school student, two middle school students and two Stewartsville Elementary students also reported they were infected.
Those who need to quarantine will be contacted by the health department, the school nurse, or a school administrator.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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