Coronavirus In PA Schools: Tracker Shows Where, How Many Cases

PENNSYLVANIA — While school for many students in Pennsylvania will begin online this fall, several districts will be opening their classrooms for in-person learning.

Many teachers and parents have expressed concerns about returning to the classrooms; most districts going back to school buildings have offered an online option as well to accommodate students who would prefer to learn remotely.

With schools closed since March, all eyes will now be on the schools that reopen to watch for any outbreaks of the virus.

To help keep tabs on where and how many cases are occurring in schools in individual states and communities, the National Education Association has launched a tracker.

The tracker is the brainchild of Kansas teacher Alisha Morris, who began developing it in early August. Since then, the project has expanded and the NEA has taken the reins.

Morris, who recently spoke with NPR, started building the database on Aug. 6. It was initially based on news reports going back to July 1, she explained.

The NEA database now shows more than 40 reports of coronavirus cases linked to Pennsylvania schools. Most of those cases were reported in August and are linked to extra curricular activities, including sports. You can see the full list here.

Opinions on whether students should return to the classrooms are split: many districts opted for an online start due to concerns from teachers and some community members. A lack of staffing has also complicated bringing students back into a school setting in a socially-distanced environment.

While Pennsylvania officials have said schools can reopen as long as they have an approved safety plan in place, the state recently created a recommendation for how to administer learning based on the level of community spread. Counties in Pennsylvania are rated either low, moderate or substantial transmission risks. The ratings are updated weekly.

The state Department of Education recommends a fully remote education model in counties that have substantial risk of community spread. Those designated as having substantial risk have had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a percent positivity rate above 10 percent over seven days.

Counties with low risk have had less than 10 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a less than 5 percent positivity rate over seven days. In counties with a low transmission risk, the state recommends either a fully in-person model or some blended learning.

The moderate designation means the county has had anywhere from 10 to less than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a 5-10 percent positivity rate over seven days. For counties in the moderate designation, fully remote school or a blend of remote and in-person learning is recommended.

Some public health officials in the Philadelphia suburbs are strongly advocating for a full reopening of schools based on the current data.

In Bucks County, Health Department Director David Damsker said it was his recommendation that all districts reopen with safety measures in place. However, just three opted for in-person learning to start the year off.

In an interview with Patch to discuss the county's "modified quarantine" procedure for schools, Damsker said the associated impacts of isolation and quarantine — adolescent depression and anxiety — are more concerning to him from a public health perspective at this point than the coronavirus itself.

He said no children in Pennsylvania have died from coronavirus, and in Bucks County there have been no pediatric hospitalizations. "The flu has killed more kids than this has," he said, noting he supported the initial school closure so experts could better understand the virus.But now that we have more knowledge, "I don't know much better they're (the numbers) are going to get" before reopening schools for in-person learning.

While some outbreaks have been reported in college campuses across the state, including at Temple where more than 200 students recently tested positive, the virus is not typically spread in classroom environments where students are wearing masks, Damsker said. In general, it is spreading on college campuses at social events and parties, he noted.

Cases in Bucks County are primarily being traced to household contacts or social gatherings, he added.

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