Staff member at Allegheny Valley School District's Acmetonia Elementary tests positive for covid-19

The Allegheny Valley School District was notified Friday that a staff member at Acmetonia Elementary School has tested positive for covid-19.

The last date of possible exposure at the school was last Tuesday.

“We were made aware by the staff member that they tested positive on Friday,” superintendent Patrick M. Graczyk told the Trib. Graczyk said the staff member is quarantining for the next two weeks and will return to work once they are cleared.

Graczyk said the Allegheny County Health Department was notified immediately and that the district was provided with guidance and protocols. He does not believe that anyone else on the staff has been infected.

“The health department works in conjunction with the schools to help with contact tracing. If anyone was believed to have been exposed, we would have contacted those people already or have been in the process of that,” said Graczyk.

Nevertheless, Graczyk said he is maintaining a high level of concern.

“We’re trying to mitigate covid-19, which is difficult at any level. It’s also very high level because we know that talk of it and the spread causes concern for parents. We want to be a calming force and a source of information,” Graczyk said. “However, we don’t have any reason at this point in time from the health department that would dictate closing of the schools.”

At this point, Graczyk said Acmetonia Elementary is not planning to alter its hybrid model put in place for the start of the school year. The staff member’s positive test has also not immediately disrupted plans for an eventual return to all in-person schooling, although that could change.

“(The positive test) influences the thought process because to me there are a few factors that always will either prohibit us moving to our next phase or initiate moving back to a virtual phase. One of those would be positive tests among students and staff. That has to be taken into consideration,” said Graczyk.

Graczyk said more positive tests among students, teachers and staff, including custodians, or an increase in overall covid-19 cases in Allegheny County could alter the district’s plans.

“Any one of those things or a combination of those things could prohibit us from moving to a more traditional, full capacity phase.”