CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — School districts in Lackawanna County are monitoring coronavirus case numbers. The Department of Education says schools in the county should consider going virtual if the count increases.
All the school district superintendents in Lackawanna County were informed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education Monday morning that the county is now considered to have "substantial" community transmission.
For school districts that are already fully virtual, that doesn't mean much. But for districts which are doing hybrid models, like Abington Heights, it means they'll be watching the numbers very closely over the next week to see if they need to go all virtual.
Based on last week's coronavirus numbers, the Pennsylvania Department of Education now classifies Lackawanna County as having "substantial" community transmission.
The state recommends but does not require school districts in that category to hold all virtual classes. But the state also says districts should wait to see how the numbers change over the next seven days before making the switch.
"Nobody at this point is recommending that we go all virtual. Our hybrid model has been very successful; it's been very positively received by our students and our families. So, there's no need right now for us to change right now, but we're on alert, and depending upon how the numbers go, we'll be making decisions as this week and the next week unfold," said Abington Heights Superintendent Michael Mahon.
Abington Heights, Mid Valley, North Pocono, Lakeland, and Old Forge School Districts all plan to maintain their hybrid learning models, at least for this week.
"There is no question that when students are under our roof and teachers are engaging with our students, and students with our teachers, that's when the best things happen at Abington Heights."
Mahon also said he reached out to the Department of Education and the Department of Health for more information about the county's case numbers to see if the cases are concentrated in one spot, such as on college campuses.
That will help inform the school district's decision on whether or not to go virtual.