The president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association is urging school district in 38 counties to switch to fully remote learning, based on the escalation in the number of coronavirus infections in those counties. Indiana County is one of the 38.
PSEA is the collective bargaining unit for all seven of Indiana County’s school districts. Union president Rich Askey says state guidelines call for schools in any county in which the number of covid-19 cases is around 100 per 100,000 residents to go fully remote. Indiana County’s rate is currently more than 200 cases per 100,000 residents. The county this week has seen its positivity rate rise to 14 percent, compared to the state rate of 6.9 percent.
Askey says in a news release, “We must follow these guidelines to the letter. It’s the best way for us to slow the spread of this virus and keep our students, staff, and their families safe.”
The Indiana Area, United, Blairsville-Saltsburg, and Purchase Line districts have noted positive coronavirus infections in the last week, and Homer-Center has alerted residents in their district that higher positive rates in their community are alarming and could force the district to make a move.
The PSEA list of counties it recommends switch to fully remote learning also includes three of Indiana County’s neighbors: Armstrong, Cambria, and Jefferson.
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