Aug 31, 2020 2 min read

Peters Township School District on Monday announced a confirmed positive case and two presumed cases of COVID-19 at the high school, which is closed through Friday as a result.

The district also sent notices to families reporting that individuals at Peters Township Middle and McMurray Elementary schools have presumed positive cases of COVID-19.

The academic year in Peters began Aug. 24 with students attending in-person five days a week.

All three cases at the high school are unrelated to in-school transmission, according to information attributed to Michael Fisher, assistant superintendent and the district’s pandemic coordinator.

Following guidance from the Pennsylvania departments of health and education, the district will close the high school for four days. Beginning Tuesday, all students will attend class remotely for the duration of the closure.

Regarding the middle school and McMurray Elementary, the district reported that in the event of “a second confirmed case” at either school, that building “could close for up to five days as per Health Department guidance.”

“The district is closely monitoring this situation and will notify staff and families if any additional actions need to be taken in the near future,” the letters to students at the respective schools state.

At all three impacted schools, the individuals who have tested positive will not return “until they have completed isolation procedures for COVID-19,” according to the district. The schools will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and students and staff members who are considered as close contacts, any individual within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes, will receive a “personal contact” designation by the Department of Health or district representative.

In-person instruction at the high school is scheduled to resume Sept. 8, and the district is monitoring the situation closely and will notify staff members and families if any additional actions need to be taken in the near future.