Fox Chapel Area School District reports nearly 170 covid cases recently, in-person instruction continues
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More than 160 covid cases have been reported in the Fox Chapel Area School District within the past few weeks, according to letters sent to district parents.
The latest notice, sent out Thursday, alerts families of 22 new “confirmed or probably cases.”
They include 10 at the high school, four at Kerr Elementary, three at O’Hara Elementary, two at Fairview Elementary, one at Hartwood Elementary schools and two at Dorseyville Middle School.
On Monday, the district learned of 92 confirmed or probable cases of covid-19 over the winter break.
“We know that the majority of these cases were due to external contact that occurred outside of school,” the email reads. “We also know that in many cases, individuals do not follow all of the same mitigation strategies (masking, social distancing, frequent hand washing, etc.) that we use in our school buildings. As a result of this, we anticipate elevated case counts for at least the rest of this week.”
That proved to be true as more messages were sent out to parents and guardians about cases the past few days, including 31 on Tuesday and 23 on Wednesday.
January cases noted as of Thursday night were just under 170. There were 56 at the high school, 39 at Dorseyville, 26 at O’Hara, 18 at Kerr, 21 at Fairview and seven at Hartwood. Cases also included one staff member.
The last few emails contain the same message:
“The district followed its Health and Safety Plan, contacted the Allegheny County Health Department, and followed its guidance,” the emails read. “If any individuals were in close contact with the confirmed and probable cases through the schools, they were notified.”
They do not state what other measures are being done to address the rising cases, or if there will be a shift to remote learning in any or all of the classes at any or all of the schools.
The ending of the letters were also the same:
“The Fox Chapel Area School District will continue to work with the Allegheny County Health Department when it has confirmed and probable cases of covid-19, and notify those who need to know about potential exposure while protecting the privacy of individuals, as outlined in the Health and Safety Plan. As always, the health and safety of our school community remain our priority.”
District spokeswoman Bonnie Berzonski said Thursday that the district is open for in-person instruction.
Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac and Deputy Superintendent David McCommons did not return multiple messages seeking comment.
Total cases since August are 458. A breakdown by month is available under the covid-19 resources tab of district’s website, fcasd.edu.