Jim Thorpe School officials say they will continue in-person classes as long as there is no evidence that they are contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

“I think it’s best for everyone and the process,” said Superintendent John Rushefski. “It would be different if we were creating the spread - we’re just handling the spread that’s happening outside the building.”

Rushefski gave school board members an update on how the district is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic during a school board meeting Wednesday night.

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Carbon County and statewide.

On Thursday, there were 38 new cases reported in Carbon County and 5,488 reported statewide - more than any other single day during the pandemic.

Jim Thorpe Area School District has had five cases in the school district since the beginning of the year. Each case originated outside of school, and the student did not spread it to others in the district, Rushefski said.

On Thursday, Rushefski notified parents that a student at L.B. Morris tested positive for COVID-19 this week.

The school district consulted with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and determined there was no need to close the school building.

The student last attended school Nov. 5, and is believed to have come into contact with the virus outside of school.

In an unrelated situation, the district isolated a cafeteria worker at L.B. Morris who was a close contact of someone outside the school who tested positive for COVID-19.

Rushefski said that the district continues to follow its health and safety plan with regular cleaning, social distancing, and the use of masks and barriers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Previously, several cafeteria workers at L.B. Morris, who work for an outside contractor, had been quarantined, but no students were affected.

The school district has been operating on a hybrid schedule. Elementary students attend classes in-person four days a week. Students in grades 6-12 attend classes two days a week, and three days online. About one-third of students are taking online-only classes through the district.

Based on the current level of COVID-19 spread in Carbon County, the Pennsylvania Department of Education recommends that all school districts adopt full remote learning.

None of the schools in Carbon County are currently following that recommendation.

Board member Paul Montemuro said that there are parents who need in-person learning for their children, particularly families with multiple small children.

Rushefski said in-person learning is a lot more effective for teaching students.

If there is evidence that COVID-19 is spreading, Rushefski said the first step would be to close down a classroom, or a grade level, instead of an entire school. That hasn’t happened yet, he said.

“We’ve got a great health and safety plan, and I can assure the school district and community we have a clean building. The staff, teachers, custodians, everyone is taking it very seriously,” he said.

New Tamaqua case

The Tamaqua Area School District reported a COVID-19 case on Thursday.

The individual is a student at Tamaqua Elementary School and has not been in school for over a week, according to Superintendent Ray Kinder’s letter dated Nov. 12.

“The school district has utilized protocols from the Department of Health, collected data, and analyzed factors of transmission,” Kinder said in the letter. “After this consultation, it was determined that no additional individuals will need to quarantine.”

The Tamaqua Area School District reported three COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

“Three high school students, two of whom were already in quarantine, tested positive,” Kinder reported.

According to Kinder, after consulting with the department of health, four more individuals will quarantine.

On Monday, the district reported a positive case at the high school that prompted 56 others to isolate.