Middletown superintendent hopes all students return soon even as 1 building
Middletown Area School District is preparing to resume to in-person classes in April as new cases are reported at one of the elementary schools.
According to a letter sent to district parents from Superintendent Dr. Lori Suski, two confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 were reported Wednesday involving staff members at Kunkel Elementary School.
This means that, under current recommendations, Kunkel Elementary School will be closed Thursday and Friday for building cleaning, sanitization and contact tracing. Students will move to remote learning for those days, and the school will reopen on Monday, March 29.
Outside of these cases, Suski said there have been several factors impacting proposals to move to in-person learning for the last several weeks of the 2020-21 school year.
One of the factors is the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to all MASD employees and contracted service providers. Suski said more than 200 employees and contractors have been vaccinated.
The other factor is that cases within Dauphin County are down to the point that the county is now at a “substantial” level of community transmission instead of moderate, for the first time since early November 2020.
Because of that, and the newly released CDC guidelines shortening social distancing requirements for classrooms, Suski said she will be recommending that the district returns to in-person learning the week of April 12.
This recommendation will go to the school board for approval on April 6th, Suski said.
When students do return to the classroom, precautions such as universal masking, social distancing and handwashing will continue for the foreseeable future, Suski said.
“However, bringing our students fully back to school is something we believe is in their best interest,” Suski said. “Being with peers, getting back into a routine of daily in-person schooling, receiving more academic supports, and the ability to engage in school activities will help our students to finish the year strong.”
Suski added that the district wants to end the school year with as many “traditional” but modified activities as possible, including spring concerts, musicals, field days, honors night, prom and graduations.
As the district plans to bring students back, Suski said the district wants to know parents’ plans regarding their children’s return to school. She advised that a brief survey will be released Thursday morning, along with additional information including options for parents not comfortable with a full return this spring.
Any additional questions can be sent to Suski at [email protected].
Read more on PennLive:
Read More: Middletown superintendent hopes all students return soon even as 1 building