Covid case spike prompts remote instruction for Greensburg Salem Middle School students

Students at Greensburg Salem Middle School will receive remote instruction at least until Thursday following a recent spike in covid-19 cases.

Superintendent Gary Peiffer said the decision was made after five positive cases were reported late last week.

“We already had 49 students quarantining at the middle school who were close contacts of positive cases,” Peiffer said Monday. “With those numbers, the decision was made to go all remote for today and tomorrow.”

He said deep cleaning began Friday in areas where the five affected students had been and was expanded to the rest of the school.

Students have been receiving in-person instruction four days per week with remote lessons on Wednesdays to allow for a thorough cleaning midweek, so Thursday is the earliest the students could return to the classroom.

Outside athletic practices and games can continue as normally scheduled at the middle school, Peiffer said.

He said an alternate space at the high school was being considered to allow rehearsals to proceed for the middle school musical, “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical.”

That production is to be filmed for digital streaming to ticket holders at 7 p.m. May 14 or 15 and at 2 p.m. May 15 or 16. Tickets are available for $10, plus a service fee, by searching for the school’s name at showtix4u.com.

Students at both the middle school and high school were restricted to remote instruction on April 15 and 16, because of nine positive covid-19 cases at the middle school and eight cases at the high school during preceding days.

Middle school sports were canceled during that episode because of positive cases among those participating in extracurricular activities.