Another elementary school in the Northern Lehigh School District has transitioned to fully remote instruction after several individuals tested positive for COVID-19.

Peters Elementary School has transitioned to fully remote as of Monday, Superintendent Matthew J. Link confirmed Monday afternoon. Slatington Elementary has been in the fully remote model since Dec. 10, Link said.

Link said that both Peters and Slatington Elementary schools are currently operating in the fully remote model.

“This is a result of both buildings falling into the PDE and PA DOH small school guidance (less than 500 students), and having two to four students or staff testing positive for COVID-19 within a rolling 14-day period,” Link said. “We were required to transition both schools to the fully remote model because they met the criteria for schools in a county that is designated in the substantial level of community transmission. Both Lehigh and Northampton County are at the substantial level.”

Further, Link said that all schools will implement a short-term transition to the fully remote model for the two weeks after winter break, Jan. 4-15. Jan. 18 is a professional development day with no students.

Students will return to the hybrid model on Jan. 19.

Link sent a letter to the community explaining the decision for post winter break instruction.

“Even with all of our efforts to mitigate the positive cases of students and staff occurring in our buildings, it is occurring at a rate that requires us to take additional action,” he said. As I am sure you are aware from the notices being sent, the number of cases leading up to and during the two-week period after Thanksgiving Break have increased.

“We have been in contact with the Pennsylvania Department of Health for each case. With direct input from representatives from the Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology - Bureau of Epidemiology, we have decided to do a short-term transition to the fully remote model for two weeks after the winter break. All NLSD schools will function in the fully remote model from Jan. 4 through Jan. 15.

“We are confident that this will help us avoid the spike in positive cases for our students and staff like we have seen since the Thanksgiving Break. Waiting the additional two weeks to return to the hybrid model will clear the 14-day incubation period for anyone who may have been exposed at New Year’s.

“Building principals will send additional information specific to each school concerning expectations for teaching and learning during the short-term transition to the fully remote model. Our athletic director will send information on a revised schedule for athletics. Our food services director will send information regarding opportunities for all students to continue to receive free meals through the Grab-N-Go meal program.”

Slatington Elementary School was the first building in the district to follow the fully remote instructional model after four employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Link said the district was notified of the first case the evening of Dec. 8, and learned of the other three cases throughout the morning of Dec. 9. Letters were sent to families the afternoon of Dec. 9.

Link also said the district was notified Dec. 9 of one positive COVID case of an employee at the district’s central office building.

Earlier this month the district said it remained committed to its hybrid learning model.

The school board at its Dec. 1 meeting unanimously granted approval of the updates to the district’s health and safety plan.

Link told the board at that time that he and board President Gary Fedorcha signed the statement on Nov. 25 that attests that the district is going to do things that are in its health and safety plan.

He 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.

He said at that time the district remained hopeful it could keep going as long as it could 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.