Covid cases continue at schools in North Hills as changes to instructional models approach

School districts in northern Allegheny County continue to report new active covid-19 cases among students and as they prepare to transition from all-remote learning in the coming weeks.

North Hills

The North Hills School District reported 15 new cases between Dec. 16 and Jan. 3.

Four students and a staff member at the high school were infected with the coronavirus or presumed positive for covid-19 along with three students at the middle school, according to the district’s covid-19 tracker.

A student and teacher also tested positive at McIntyre Elementary along with a student and two staff members at West View Elementary and a teacher and staff member at Ross Elementary.

There have been a total of 23 covid cases in the district, including eight that are active.

District students will continue virtual instruction for the remainder of the week. All students are scheduled to return to a blend of in-person and online instruction on Jan. 11.

North Allegheny

Between Dec. 3 and Jan. 3, NA reported five additional cases, which brought the district total to 162 since the start of the pandemic.

Another 11 positive cases were added to the district’s covid tracker on Jan. 4.

Ten of the 11 cases are active and there are 24 students and four staff members in quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Students in all grades are in remote learning after returning from winter break on Monday.

Children in kindergarten through eighth grade are scheduled to resume full, in-person instruction on Jan. 19. Schools are closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Hybrid instruction will continue for students in grades nine through 12.

Pine-Richland

Active covid-19 cases reported in the Pine-Richland School District continue to rise incrementally after spiking to double digits two months into the school year.

In September, there were two positive covid-19 cases in the district. The number increased to five in October.

In November, 42 people — 34 students and eight staff members — were infected with the virus, an increase of 740% in the total number of cases from the previous month.

On Jan. 1, the district reported that there were 54 active cases in December — 42 students and 12 members of the staff. The district does not report the daily change in positive cases but provides updates and other information on its covid-19 dashboard.

Students will continue to attend classes remotely until at least Jan. 18 to help slow the spread of coronavirus, school officials said.

The district has not yet announced whether all district students will return to hybrid instruction on that date or if it will be phased in beginning with elementary-age children.

Hampton

Hampton’s kindergarten and elementary students were able to return to full, in-person instruction on Dec. 10 because of the district’s small student population.

But students and the middle and high schools continued with a blend of online and in-person instruction because the cafeterias in those buildings don’t have enough space to allow students to remove their face coverings to eat and still maintain proper social distancing.

There are 2,833 students at Hampton compared to more than 4,300 at North Hills and Pine-Richland and 8,500 at North Allegheny.

The district does not have an active case tracker available for the public to view and does not post information on its website about the number of cases, where they occurred or if the people infected were students or staff members.

District officials said prior to the winter holiday break, there had been a total of 50 cases of covid-19 reported in the district since the start of the school year.

Of the 50 cases, 18 were at the high school and nine were at the middle school. Eleven cases also were reported at Central Elementary along with four at Poff and eight at Wyland.

As of Jan. 6, the total number of cases had increased to 72, which includes 10 active cases at the high school and one at Central Elementary, according to a copy of a letter sent to parents that was obtained by the Tribune-Review.

Of the 72 total cases, 25 were at the high school, 13 at the middle school, 17 at Central Elementary and eight each at Poff and Wyland, according to the letter.