Shaler Area not considering 5-day, in-person learning at this time

Shaler Area School District leaders are not considering a return to full-time, in-person classes at the moment, Superintendent Sean Aiken told families last week.

Students in mid-October began a hybrid model, with two days of in-school learning, after having started the year entirely online.

“The next question is when we can move to a traditional model of five days in-person instruction,” Aiken wrote in an email to district families.

“With the current rise in case counts within the county, this is not a transition that we are considering at this time.”

Allegheny County on Oct. 31 recorded 174 new coronavirus cases, according to data from the county health department.

Throughout October, the county saw 3,448 new cases of the virus, an increase of 72.3% from September (2,001).

Aiken said there have been a few positive covid-19 cases in the district. Those potentially affected have been contacted.

“According to the Allegheny County Health Department, most if not close to all of the cases surrounding schools since late August have been traced to parties, restaurants, weddings, funerals, and other community gatherings outside of school,” he said.

Aiken said the goal is to have students back in schools five days a week, but “we want to be very strategic about when and how we make that transition.”

School officials will continue to monitor the situation on a weekly basis and communicate with families.

Across the area, districts have been taking different paths regarding covid-19 and how it affects in-person learning.

Deer Lakes School District still plans to follow through with its plan to reinstate full-time in-person learning beginning Nov. 9, even though there have been four positive cases there. Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden said a student at Deer Lakes High School informed the district they tested positive for covid-19 on Oct. 31. Hybrid and fully online learning will remain available for students and parents not comfortable with going back to school full-time.

At the same time, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Nov. 1 that it will close the Pittsburgh Obama Academy school in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood after a second staffer tested positive for covid-19.

Bethany Baker, Shaler’s communications specialist, said there is no timeline for the district’s transition to full-time in-school learning.

The decision “will be based on the health, wellness and safety of all students and staff members,” she said.

“This is not a transition that we are considering at this time, however, it is something that is monitored regularly.”

Aiken said the first few weeks of hybrid learning have been smooth, and he thanked families for their compliance to health and safety protocols.

Staff and students are required to wear masks and social distance in every district building and on school buses.