Covid cases in Butler County prompt change to Seneca Valley instruction
The Seneca Valley School District has announced changes to its instruction model after being notified that the number of covid-19 cases is surging in Butler County.
Students in grades 11 and 12 will continue using remote learning with live streaming for all classes through Jan. 4, the district announced on Monday.
The intermediate high school and Ryan Gloyer Middle School students will use a blend of online and in-person instruction on Monday and Tuesday before all students in grades seven through 12 switch to full-remote learning that will continue through Jan. 4.
On Wednesday, students in kindergarten through sixth grade will return to a hybrid form of instruction.
Children with last names beginning with the letters “A to L” will attend in-person classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and those with last names beginning with “M to Z” will be in the buildings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All grade-school students will use remote learning on Fridays.
“This weekend we were notified by Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health that Butler County is now in its second consecutive week of a ‘substantial’ designation for covid-19 transmission,” Superintendent Tracy Vitale wrote in a letter went to parents.
“For this reason – and due to significant increases we are seeing in the public data — we will be adjusting our learning models for all,” she wrote.
A total of 2,983 positive covid-19 cases have been reported in Butler County.
Seneca Valley has 21 active covid cases in the district — 20 students and one staff member. There are 31 inactive cases of covid in the district.
Additionally, there are 509 students and 18 staff members in quarantine.
The district has a full-time nurse administrator who conducts contact tracing. Anyone in the district who is diagnosed with covid-19 is interviewed by the nurse to develop a list of people with whom the patient may have come into close contact.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone who has covid-19 for 15 minutes or longer.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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