Northern Lehigh School District remains committed to its hybrid learning model.

On a unanimous measure, the school board on Tuesday granted approval of the updates to the district’s health and safety plan.

Superintendent Matthew J. Link told the board that he and board President Gary Fedorcha signed the attestation statement on Nov. 25.

“We had to attest that we were going to do the things that were in our health and safety plan,” Link said.

Link said it’s been posted to the district’s website as required; it’s also been embedded into the district’s health and safety plan directly; and it’s also referenced throughout the FAQ section as related to the Northern Lehigh School District health and safety plan.

Link said it’s the order that came out from the Department of Health, Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, and supported by Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega.

“We’re going to follow the updated face covering order, and if we meet the criteria to close schools based on positive cases within a 14-day period for a particular school building, that we must close,” Link said.

“If we did not sign the order, because Lehigh County is already in a substantial designation criteria, we would have had to immediately close. So we’re hopeful that we can keep going as long as we can in the hybrid model.”

Link said last month the plan is for Northern Lehigh’s buildings to stay open for the foreseeable future, even as several neighboring school districts had closed due to a surge in positive COVID-19 cases.