Keystone Oaks School District has closed for the remainder of the week after a member of the Myrtle Avenue Elementary School tested positive for covid-19.

Superintendent William Stropkaj on Tuesday posted a letter to the district’s website to alert families of the case, which marks the fourth in the past three days.

The move to online learning will give the maintenance staff time to sanitize each building and will allow the district to quarantine anyone who reports additional cases this week without risking the spread in schools, Stropkaj said.

The infected person was last at Myrtle Elementary on Nov. 4.

Keystone Oaks is the second western suburb district this week to report positive cases of covid-19.

On Monday, Chartiers Valley Superintendent Johannah Vanatta sent a letter to district families to alert them that someone at the high school contracted the virus.

Vanatta said the case is unrelated to in-school transmission and the school will remain open.

“The individual who tested positive, as well as those who have been in close contact, will not be present in school buildings for the duration of their quarantine,” Vanatta said.

District nurse Michele Opferman and/or representatives from the Allegheny County Health Department will communicate directly with anyone identified as having had close contact with the covid-19-positive person.

“We encourage you to continue watching your child closely for symptoms,” Vanatta said.

Those might include fever, muscle aches and vomiting.

Anyone who thinks they might be ill should contact Opferman at 412-429-2269 or mopferman@cvsd.net.

Officials at both schools said staff and students must remain diligent about wearing masks in the buildings, maintaining social distance and washing hands regularly.

Stropkaj said that as Keystone Oaks moves to online synchronous learning, all students in Golden and Eagle cohorts should participate in classes via Google Meet.

Like Chartiers Valley, Stropkaj said Keystone Oaks is working with county health officials to reach out directly to anyone who came in close contact with the positive covid-19 person.

Anyone contacted will quarantine for 14 days.

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