COVID-19 In Fayette County: Schools Weigh Decision To Stay Virtual Or Return To In-Person Learning
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) -- Students boarded buses and headed back to the classroom this week in the Connellsville Area School District.
The decision to return to face-to-face instruction comes at a time when other Fayette County schools like Albert Gallatin extended remote learning windows.
KDKA's Meghan Schiller talked to both superintendents about the decision-making process.
"Our families have spoken to us and said as long as we can do it safely, they desire face-to-face learning," said Connellsville Area School District Superintendent Joseph Bradley. "We feel our teachers' strengths are in face-to-face learning."
Superintendent Bradley invited the district's 4,100 students back on Monday and some opted to stay home.
"From day one at the beginning of the school year, we've had an option for any student that wanted to choose five days a week virtual learning," said Bradley.
Around 30 percent of the elementary students logged on virtually while 70 percent of elementary students arrived in person.
At the middle and high schools, Superintendent Bradley said 60 percent opted for virtual learning on Monday and 40 percent showed up in person. Bradley told KDKA's Meghan Schiller that those numbers could change tomorrow, along with the district's quarantine counts.
"We have at least 10 adults that we're aware of that are quarantined, with nothing to do with exposures at Connellsville School District, but exposures in their life to other adults that they live with, things like that then impact us," Bradley said.
Fayette County's coronavirus cases crept up just before Thanksgiving and state data shows a peak on Dec. 4. The sharp increase in cases is why Albert Gallatin extended its virtual learning program.
"(We saw) significant increase for our county with the positivity rate being 15.4 and the incident rate per 1,000 being 300-plus," said Superintendent Christopher Pegg.
Pegg told KDKA's Meghan Schiller that Albert Gallatin decided to not bring the students back until Jan. 4th. He pointed out, however, that the buildings are cleaner than ever with new air filtration and continuous scrubbing.
"In the midst of this pandemic, the safest place for our kids and faculty to be is probably the school buildings," said Superintendent Pegg.
In the meantime, the custodians in Connellsville are working in overdrive.
"Our maintenance staff is averaging approximately 20-plus hours an evening in overtime to make sure our buildings are sprayed and sanitized," said Superintendent Bradley.
Another district in Fayette County, Uniontown Area School District, will remain in full remote learning until Dec. 11.
