Covid cases prompt Hempfield elementary school to close for remainder of the week

A Hempfield Area elementary school is closed temporarily after two students tested positive for covid-19, district leaders announced this week.

West Point Elementary School was closed Wednesday. Students will receive remote instruction until the school reopens Monday.

According to a letter from Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, the school is closed for three days due to new guidance released by the state’s Department of Education last month, which states a school’s closure cannot be less than the recommended number of days if served by the state’s health department.

The number of days a school is required to be closed is based on school size and community spread. West Point, which consists of about 420 students and 50 staffers, qualifies as a small school, meaning that if between two and five positive cases are reported, the school must shutter for a minimum of three days.

During Monday’s school board meeting, Wolicki said the new guidance is “very unfortunate because it does put our children out of school for a number of days when the purpose is to be for cleaning schools and contact tracing.”

Since the start of the new year, district schools that had to shutter due to covid cases were closed for just one day, which school officials deemed sufficient to conduct contact tracing.

Several cases have been reported in the district since schools reopened after holiday breaks. According to an online tracker, 43 cases were reported since Jan. 1. Of those, nine cases are currently active among seven students and two staffers.

In addition to the West Point cases, two are at Fort Allen, one at Harrold, three at Hempfield Area High School and one at West Hempfield Middle School. Eleven staffers are quarantined after being identified as close contacts, the tracker shows.

West Point students are able to receive technology support at the high school, as well as pick up free meals from the elementary school each day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“We recognize the challenge this creates for our families,” Wolicki said in the letter. “We look forward to welcoming your child back to school Monday … for in-person learning.”