Pennsylvania schools are encouraged to return elementary school students to in-person instruction wherever possible, state officials said Thursday.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and Department of Education Acting Secretary Noe Ortega held a news conference to discuss COVID-19 and updates to recommendations for schools on classroom instruction.
In the summer and fall, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration had offered guidance for schools to decide on in-person or remote instruction based on certain benchmarks for community spread and the number of positive cases in school buildings. Starting Jan. 25, the Wolf administration’s guidance changes, with a focus on returning elementary school students to in-person instruction.
School officials can decide if they want to shift elementary students to the classroom. Schools aren’t being required to move solely to in-person instruction for elementary schools but it is recommended if conditions allow, Ortega said.
Even in counties with a substantial spread of COVID-19, the state’s new guidance advises schools to at least move to a blended model of instruction for elementary schools, with a mix of in-person courses and remote learning. Currently, all 67 counties in Pennsylvania are considered to have substantial spread of the coronavirus, according to the Wolf administration.
The state is not changing its recommendations for middle school or high school. For counties with substantial spread, middle schools and high schools should continue to be limited to remote instruction, under the state’s guidelines. Still, schools are free to make their own decisions.
Levine said if mitigation procedures such as masks and social distancing are being followed, it is better for elementary students to return to in-person instruction. Levine said those under 18 are at lower risk for severe complications from COVID-19.
“The research on offering in-person instruction during COVID-19 continues to emerge,” Levine said in a statement.
“While it is impossible to eliminate the risk of disease transmission entirely within a school setting where community spread is present, recent studies have shown that when mitigation efforts, such as universal masking, physical distancing, and hand hygiene are followed, it may be safer for younger children, particularly elementary grade students, to return to in-person instruction,” she said.
The guidance also calls for encouraging in-person instruction as much as possible for other targeted groups, including students with disabilities.
Many schools throughout Pennsylvania continue to use a mix of in-person and remote instruction and some schools have continued with online classes following the spike in cases that began in November.
When asked about changing guidance for middle schools and high schools, Ortega said the primary guidance is focused on getting elementary school students as much as possible.
Ortega said schools offering face-to-face instruction must do what they can to offer sufficient social distancing.
Levine said the success of community efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 will have a direct correlation to the number of infections reported in schools.
The number of new infections has dropped in the past few weeks. Still, the number of deaths has spiked since December and there are about 5,500 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals. Levine said this week hospitals are managing the caseload but some health officials continue to be worried about another spike in cases due to holiday travel and gatherings.
On Thursday, the state reported its first case of a troublesome new variant of COVID-19 that has been found in England. The case was reported in Dauphin County. Levine said she expects to see more cases of the variant in Pennsylvania and state officials will monitor it. She said the COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be effective against the new strain.
More than 693,000 cases have been reported and more than 17,000 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the health department.
Most of those who are infected recover after dealing with relatively mild symptoms but health care experts say the coronavirus poses a risk to everyone, particularly seniors and those with health complications.
Each week, the state government offers updates on the level of COVID-19 transmission in all of Pennsylvania counties. There are three levels: low, moderate and substantial. The Wolf administration’s guidance on the model of instruction - in-person, remote or a mix - are based on those levels of transmission.
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