2 more covid-19 cases reported at Hempfield Area High School

Two coronavirus cases were reported at Hempfield Area High School this week, district officials said.

According to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, one high school teacher and one student tested positive for the virus. Those who were determined to have been in close contact with the infected individuals were contacted by the state Department of Health and are required to quarantine.

A close contact is defined as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes within a 24-hour period.

The district will update the number of positive cases within school buildings through a covid-19 tracker posted on its website. The tracker will include the number of positive cases among students and staff over the past 14 days.

According to the tracker, last updated Tuesday evening, there were 21 positive cases across the district between Oct. 21 and Nov. 3.

Of those, one is a student at West Hempfield Elementary, two are staffers at Maxwell Elementary, four are high school students, two are high school staffers, one is a student at West Hempfield Middle School and nine are within the administration or among bus drivers, maintenance workers and others.

Students in middle and high school have been attending classes through a hybrid model of learning since school started in the fall — a mix of online and in-person classes.

The school board last month voted to continue with that model as cases in the county continued to rise. Westmoreland County entered its third straight week in the “substantial” level of community transmission last week, causing some districts to revert to fully remote learning.

During last month’s meeting, however, board members expressed their desire to bring students back fulltime as soon as it is safe to do so. District officials last week made the first steps to welcoming students back fulltime by sending out surveys to middle school parents to indicate if they were interested in a full return to the classroom or in online classes.

The responses will allow officials to ensure necessary precautions are taken for when students do return to the classroom.

Wolicki reminded students and staff to self-screen for symptoms each day. If someone is identified as a close contact or exhibits symptoms, they should stay home and contact the school nurse.