2:25 pm • Saturday, January 23, 2021
Neshannock Township School District received notification that an elementary student tested positive for COVID-19. The individual is in quarantine and was in the building on Wednesday, January 20; therefore contact tracing has been conducted. A total of seventeen individuals are currently in quarantine as a result of fitting the definition of close contacts. Any contact tracing regarding potential non-school related exposure will be conducted by the Department of Health through cooperation and communication with the individual’s family.
In following our Board-approved response to COVID-19 guidelines (posted below), Neshannock Memorial Elementary School and Neshannock Jr./Sr. High School continue to remain open for daily in-person instruction as this is our only active case in both buildings. Full-virtual learning remains an option for all students in Grades K-12.
It is our goal to be able to maintain in-person learning for students at all grade levels; however, we cannot do that without the help of our community. Please do not send your child to school for in-person learning if he/she is not feeling well. Please review the “When Should I Stay Home from School” and “When Can I Return to School” charts posted below. If you, your child, or anyone in your household is in quarantine, it is absolutely imperative that you follow all guidelines. We urge our families to keep their children socially distanced as much as possible in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
We remain committed to keeping all stakeholders informed in order to ensure a safe, secure environment for all. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Julie Morrone or your child’s building principal:
- Mr. Luca Passarelli, Grades 10-12
- Mrs. Alicia Measel, Grades 7-9
- Mr. Matt Heasley, Grades K-6
- Mrs. Jenny Flannery, Cyber Grades K-6
Thank you for your continued patience, support, and commitment to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Dr. Terence P. Meehan
Superintendent, Neshannock Township School District
* One of the recovered cases, a non-teaching staff member, was an individual who spent time in both school buildings (25% at Memorial Elementary and 75% at Jr./Sr. High School).
** Recovered cases are those of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and have fulfilled their required isolation period.
What is Contact Tracing?
The Pennsylvania Department of Health collaborates with the District to conduct any contact tracing. Contact tracing is the process of identifying, notifying, and monitoring anyone who came in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were infectious (2 days before onset of symptoms until the end of the person’s isolation period). Close contact is defined as someone who was within six feet of an infected person for at least fifteen minutes.
Health and Safety Procedures and Products:
- Social Distancing – With the reduction of students in the schools due to virtual enrollment, classrooms and cafeterias are arranged in a manner to increase distance between individuals. Furthermore, additional sections of courses at the Jr./Sr. High have been added to allow for small class sizes.
- General Health and Safety Procedures – Memorial Elementary School and Jr./Sr. High School
- All individuals — students and staff — have their temperatures scanned prior to entering the building. Student and staff temperatures are scanned through the use of walk-through, touch-free body temperature scan systems at entrances. Handheld temperature scanners are also available at District entrances.
- Plexi-glass dividers continue to be present in shared work spaces.
- Bottle-filler drink stations are available throughout the building in lieu of traditional fountain-style drink stations.
- Freestanding Purell hand sanitizer stations have been placed throughout the buildings, including entrances and high traffic areas.
- All students and staff have access to multiple Meritech Automated CleanTech® Handwashing Systems throughout the buildings. These handwashing systems remove the variability of human behavior from the hygiene process and effectively guarantee quality hygiene. The systems are clinically proven to remove more than 99.9% of harmful pathogens from hands in 12 seconds using 75% less water than a traditional sink.
Our maintenance department continues to sanitize and sterilize all classrooms, common areas, and school buses on a daily basis. Throughout the District we are using all Green Seal Certified products. In addition, one product has the Eco Logo designation which is USDA approved. The Green Seal certification is attained through strict analysis of the chemicals makeup and its use. This not only protects the students through the day, but also the teachers and custodians who come in contact with these products on a daily basis.
We utilize a disinfectant product that has seven capable solutions in one. VitalOxide is used for the following:
- EPA Registered hospital disinfectant cleaner
- NSF Registered no rinse required food surface sanitizer
- Mold and mildew killer
- Allergen eliminator
- Odor eliminator
- HVAC antimicrobial control
- Soft surface sanitizer
- VitalOxide is one of the leading products in terms of safety and effectiveness.
We are also utilizing several Purell products including hand sanitizer, surface sanitizer, and disinfectant sprays.