KINZERS, Pa. — Editor's Note: The above video is from Sept. 13.
A Lancaster County school district will close two of its schools through October 14 after a sudden increase in positive COVID-19 tests.
Pequea Valley School District superintendent Dr. Erik Orndorff announced Tuesday that Pequea Valley High School and Pequea Valley Intermediate School will be closed after two confirmed cases were found, as well as and a handful of probable and possible cases that were discovered during contract tracing.
"Due to the number of cases, and to maintain compliance with (Pennsylvania Department of Education), (Pennsylvania Department of Health), and (Lancaster General Hospital) recommendations, we are closing Pequea Valley High School and Intermediate School to in-person learners, effective Wednesday, Oct. 7 through Tuesday, Oct. 13," Orndorff said in a letter to parents and guardians. "Our highest priority is the safety of our learners, staff, and community members, and we will continue to do our best to mitigate any spread of this virus."
"We are well aware that these modifications are not easy for families. I apologize for any inconvenience and I thank you for your support and patience through these necessary changes."
Orndorff said in a letter to parents and guardians on Monday that there was one confirmed case in the district, then issued a follow-up letter Tuesday that stated there were two total cases (both unrelated to each other), as well as one probable case and two possible cases.
He provided no other details, citing patient privacy.
In addition to the school closures, PV is also suspending all athletics and extra-curricular events through Oct. 13.
After a staff development day Wednesday to prepare for a switch to online learning, the school district will implement a remote learning format for high school and intermediate school students on Thursday and Friday.
Monday, Oct. 12 and Tuesday, Oct. 13 will remain as Columbus Day vacation days for the students, who will then return to in-person learning on Wednesday, Oct. 14, Orndorff said.
Orndorff's full letter appears below.
"As a follow-up to yesterday’s communication regarding an individual associated with the district testing positive for COVID-19, this morning we received additional information from families and the Department of Health.
"As of this morning, we had one confirmed case and a probable case from yesterday. A probable case is a person who develops symptoms of COVID-19 after being in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. We also have two possible cases from our contact tracing and collaboration with families.
"This afternoon we learned of an additional confirmed case that is not related to yesterday’s case, which required additional contact tracing. While we cannot share any identifying information about these individuals for patient privacy reasons, we feel it is critical to continue communicating accurate information with our families in a timely manner when a positive case of COVID-19 has been identified and impacts our schools.
"We are working with our local health officials to address the situation, including contacting all individuals who had close contact with the person who tested positive. Close contact is defined by the medical experts as being within six feet for fifteen minutes or more of the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. All individuals considered to have had “close contact” in the school setting have already received a direct notification from the District instructing them on their next steps, which could include a 14-day quarantine.
"Due to the number of cases, and to maintain compliance with PDE, DOH and LGH recommendations, we are closing Pequea Valley High School and Intermediate School to in-person learners, effective Wednesday, October 7th through Tuesday October 13th. Learners will return on October 14, 2020. After tomorrow’s deep cleaning, facilitators and staff will continue to report to the campus to provide virtual instruction to PV Online (PVOL) and in-person learners.
"Tomorrow, Wednesday October 7th will now be a staff development day to prepare for Thursday and Friday’s online instruction. Therefore, there will be NO SCHOOL for (PVOL and in-person) 7th – 12th grade learners. This day will be made up on May 10, 2021. (May 10th was previously scheduled as a staff development day so this change does not add any additional days to our calendar.) Thursday, October 8th and Friday, October 9th will now be VIRTUAL school days for all (7-12th) PVOL and in-person learners.
"The expectation for Thursday and Friday will be as follows:
- Learners are required to log into a Google Meet session at the beginning of each of their regularly scheduled brick and mortar classes, utilizing a link from their learning facilitators.
- Learners are expected to be logged into Schoology at the beginning of the class when joining the Google Meet sessions.
- Learners are expected to complete the assigned work and engage in learning, per the direction of the learning facilitator during your regularly scheduled brick and mortar time slots.
- Learners are expected to complete all the required activities and assignments, per the direction of the learning facilitator.
"Monday (12th) and Tuesday (13th) will remain a vacation day and staff development day (as scheduled on our school calendar - Columbus Day and Act 80 day).
"As a result of the positive test, the District has taken the following actions:
- Contacted the PA Department of Health for further guidance.
- Cleaned and disinfected locations visited by the individuals who tested positive with COVID-19.
- Identified individuals who qualified as having had close contact with the infected individual.
- Communicated directly with all individuals identified as having had close contact with the individual who tested positive for COVID-19.
"As a reminder, please keep your child home from school if he/she is feeling ill for any reason. As it relates to COVID-19, the most common symptoms are cough, fever, loss of taste or smell, and difficulty breathing, shortness of breath. Muscle aches, sore throat, and fatigue are also common. If your child exhibits any of the above-listed symptoms, please consult with your family medical provider immediately.
"Our highest priority is the safety of our learners, staff, and community members, and we will continue to do our best to mitigate any spread of this virus. We are well aware that these modifications are not easy for families. I apologize for any inconvenience and I thank you for your support and patience through these necessary changes."