Pittsburgh schools delay in-person instruction

Students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will remain in remote instruction Monday, upon their return from winter break.

Superintendent Anthony Hamlet announced Friday on the district’s Facebook page that he and the district’s board of directors are still finalizing plans to bring students back to buildings.

A small number of students had returned to school in November, only to be sent back to remote learning days later amid a surge in local covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.

At that time, the school district said students would come back to buildings no earlier than Jan. 4.

“Based on concerns about covid-19 positivity rates increasing after the holidays due to travel and in-person gatherings, we do not anticipate staff returning to buildings any sooner than the week of January 18, 2021, and students will not return before the second semester, which starts on Wednesday, January 27, 2021,” Hamlet said Friday.

Several school districts in Western Pennsylvania are cautious to bring students back to buildings after the holidays and related gatherings or travel. Health experts predict a surge in covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths may occur as a result of more social interactions during the celebrations.