Norwin covid-19 cases pile up

Norwin’s coronavirus cases continue to pile up, as a Hillcrest Intermediate School student is the latest student or staff member to test positive for covid-19.

The district said Tuesday that the student has not been in school for several days, so no contact tracing at school is needed at this time, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The student will not return to school until they have completed isolation procedures for covid-19.

As a result of the timing of the student’s attendance at school, additional sanitization is not necessary, and all buildings will be ready for staff members Wednesday. All students are instructed in a virtual manner on Wednesdays.

The district announced on Monday that three high school students had tested positive for coronavirus and one student who received instruction through the Norwin Online Academy also tested positive.

More cases are being reported by the school district in the past two weeks as the number of coronavirus cases in the North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin area rose almost 22% from Nov. 9 to 16, according to the state Department of Health.

Norwin has had 52 students and staff who have tested positive for coronavirus and 512 students who have had to quarantine this school year for 14 days or as long as 24 days, Superintendent Jeff Taylor told the school board Monday. There are 249 students are in quarantine now, while 22 staff members are in quarantine out of the 38 who have been in quarantine since school began Aug. 31, Taylor noted.

One parent, Tracy Watt of North Huntingdon, questioned school officials at the virtual school board meeting on what requirements are in place to determine if one of the 512 students who have quarantined do not have the virus. Some procedures should be put in place to prove that they do not have the virus.

“It blows my mind,” Watt said.

School officials, who typically do not reply to citizen comments at the board meetings, did not offer an explanation.