In a posting to the school district website, the Indiana Area School District says that a student from Ben Franklin Elementary School has tested positive for Covid-19.

The district says the state Health Department have instructed it to identify the students and adults who may be at risk of exposure and has been communicating with them regarding the need to quarantine and closely monitor their health, contacting the health care provider if they experience any symptoms.

Further, the district says that the Department of Health has not yet said if they need to quarantine the entire class and/or the school bus the student rode.  Therefore, they have asked families who may have been affected to quarantine today.

The school district says they hope to get clarity from the Department of Health sometime today and will get the information out as soon as they learn what the next steps are to be. All parents are encouraged to keep monitoring their children for symptoms of Covid-19 and communicate any concerns to their health care professional and the school nurse.

THE STATEMENT FROM INDIANA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT:

COVID-19 Alert

September 13, 2020

Dear Families,

Sunday late afternoon the District was alerted that an Indiana elementary student at Ben Franklin has tested positive for Covid-19. We have been instructed by the PA Department of Health to identify the students and adults who may be at risk of exposure.  IASD is communicating with them regarding necessary quarantines and advising them to closely monitor their health and to contact their Health Care Provider if they experience any symptoms. To this point, the Department of Health has not provided us with clarity regarding whether or not there is a need to quarantine the entire class and/or bus.  With no immediate determination by the Department of Health, we are taking measures to keep our students and staff as safe as possible. As a result, we have asked families who may have been affected to quarantine for tomorrow, Monday, September 14, 2020.  Again, District personnel has contacted the impacted families personally to inform them of the need to quarantine. It is our hope that we will gain more clarity from DOH sometime tomorrow and will communicate the next steps once they are provided to the District.

We will keep you informed as the circumstance changes. All parents are encouraged to continue monitoring their child(ren) for the symptoms of COVID-19 and communicate any concerns with your health care professional and school nurse.