Deer Lakes confirms covid-19 case at middle school

A staff member at Deer Lakes Middle School has tested positive for covid-19, according to Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden.

The district was notified of the case on Monday, Logue-Belden said in a letter sent to families.

The letter did not identify the infected individual other than to say it is a middle school staff member.

Reached by email later Monday, Logue-Belden said the district could not provide further information on the case because it would violate district policy and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, requirements.

“What we can say is that we are following sound protocols aligned with expert health guidance to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the health of our students, staff and families,” Logue-Belden said.

Logue-Belden in the letter said the district notified the Allegheny County Health Department about the case. The health department said the staffer should remain isolated at home for at least two weeks until their symptoms have passed and they have been cleared as no longer positive, the letter states.

Logue-Belden said people who were in close contact with the staffer have been notified and instructed to follow mandatory quarantine-at-home protocols for two weeks. Parents and students who have not been contacted with specific instructions concerning this case have not been exposed and are not required to quarantine at home, Logue-Belden said.

“Please be aware that quarantining in this situation does not necessarily mean that these other individuals have tested positive for covid-19,” Logue-Belden wrote. “It simply means that they may have been exposed to the virus, and therefore they must remain quarantined in order to avoid potentially spreading it to others.”

Deer Lakes is currently following a hybrid model where students learn in-person in school two days a week and learn remotely the remaining three days. Students also have the option to do fully online learning.

The letter said parents and students who test positive for the coronavirus need to inform their school nurse or administrators as soon as possible and begin isolating immediately.

Traci Stotler has three children in the district, one of whom is in eighth grade. She recently started a petition asking district officials to reinstate in-person instruction five days a week. Stotler plans to present the petition to the school board at its meeting Tuesday. She said the staff member testing positive hasn’t changed her opinion.

“I would never send my children into danger. I feel Deer Lakes School District schools are safe for my children and I send all three there with no hesitation,” Stotler said.