A teacher at North Hills High School who already was in quarantine has tested positive for covid-19, district officials announced.

The teacher was last in the building on Oct. 29 and began developing symptoms on Oct. 31. A rapid test administered on Nov. 1 confirmed that the teacher contracted the virus, according to the district.

There are five active covid-19 cases at the high school, according to a tracker created by the district to post updated information about coronavirus.

To date, 13 people in the district — six students and seven staff members — have tested positive for the virus. There were eight cases at the high school, two at the middle school, two at Highcliff Elementary and one at Ross Elementary.

The Allegheny County Health Department is not recommending that the district change the hybrid instructional model at the high school because of the nature of the cases and the contract tracing that is being conducted, district officials said, adding that the health of staff and students will continue to be monitored.

Last week, two people — a high school student and teacher/football coach — tested positive for covid-19.

The student developed symptoms last weekend and received a positive test on Oct. 28.

District officials said the student had not been in school or involved in district activities since Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Because of the timeline of when the student was last in school and when symptoms began, no additional action was required by the district.

On Oct. 24, a high school teacher who also serves as a football coach began experiencing covid-19 symptoms. A rapid test conducted the next day revealed that the teacher had contracted the virus.

The teacher was in the classroom with students on Friday, Oct. 23, and attended that night’s football game at Fox Chapel. The coach was wearing a facial covering and following social distancing guidelines to the extent possible, district officials said.

Superintendent Patrick Mannarino consulted with Allegheny County Health Department officials who determined that it was unnecessary for the students on the football team to self-quarantine because close contact did not occur.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone who has covid-19 for 15 minutes or longer.

The Allegheny County Health Department recommends a quarantine period of 14 days, but notes that most infections occur within the first few days after exposure.

The health department will handle contract tracing for the cases and issue notices to the people who need to self-quarantine.

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