Deer Lakes to return to hybrid learning amid coronavirus surge

The Deer Lakes School Board on Tuesday unanimously voted to give Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden the authority to modify the district’s learning model based on current coronavirus-related recommendations and data for the remainder of the school year.

Previously, the school board made the decision as to what learning model the district would follow.

Students will return to hybrid learning starting Thursday. A remote learning day will take place Wednesday so families and teachers can make arrangements for hybrid learning.

The Deer Lakes School District will be closed tomorrow for in-person learning, however students and staff will be working remotely to carry on instruction. Further information relating to the instructional model Thursday and next week will be shared tomorrow through Skyward.

— Deer Lakes School District (@deerlakessd) November 18, 2020

Students in the hybrid model learn at school twice a week and at home the remaining three days.

Deer Lakes is within Allegheny County, which now falls within the “substantial” range for covid-19 cases.

Pennsylvania’s health and education departments are recommending schools in counties with a “substantial” risk of covid-19 transmission pivot from in-person learning to hybrid or remote learning. Counties deemed to have a “substantial” risk have an average covid incidence rate of more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents or a test positivity rate of greater than 10%. Allegheny County’s incidence rate is 138.7 cases per 100,000 residents and it has a test positivity rate of 7.7%, according to the state Department of Health.

If the county remains “substantial” as of Friday, Nov. 20, state officials have recommended the district switch to remote learning and reevaluate after two weeks, Logue-Belden said.

Before the vote, Logue-Belden made a presentation to the school board suggesting the district reinstate a hybrid learning model from Wednesday Nov. 18 through Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Students will be on Thanksgiving break from Thursday, Nov. 26 through Monday, Nov. 30.

Logue-Belden suggested students learn fully remote from Tuesday, Dec. 1 to Monday, Dec. 7. After that, the district could reevaluate coronavirus data and decide whether to modify or stay with the fully remote model.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 17, five high school students had tested positive for covid-19, according to figures provided by the district.

The number of people in the district that were determined to have had a close contact with an infected individual and were in quarantine as of Tuesday, Nov. 17 include:

• Twenty-one high school students

• One high school substitute and one high school teacher

• Eight middle school students

• Two students at East Union Intermediate Center

• One staffer at East Union Intermediate Center

• Three students at Curtisville Primary Center