One year has made a big difference in how local school districts returned from winter break.

After the calendar turned to 2021, many districts chose to open January in a remote learning format due to rising COVID-19 cases over the holidays, but on Monday, every Times News area district saw students physically in the classroom.

“We did not have that discussion about returning in a virtual format this year,” Tamaqua Superintendent Ray Kinder said. “Our district has been committed to returning to as close to normal format as possible.”

Kinder said staff and student attendance figures for Monday were “not significantly different” than other school days.

Every local county, Schuylkill included, saw increases in case counts over the most recent seven-day reporting period. Schuylkill had 74 more cases from Dec. 24-30 than it did from Dec. 17-Dec. 23.

Carbon County saw 167 more cases during the Dec. 24-30 period. Jim Thorpe Superintendent John Rushefski, however, said that isn’t translating to significantly higher counts in school.

“I came in over the break, looked at the data, and I did it again as well today and there’s nothing in terms of our cases, with our students and our staff that is pushing us towards virtual,” Rushefski said. “We’re basically at the same place. Numbers for the area are high, probably as high as they have been since the COVID-19 pandemic started. But at the same time, our numbers in school are about the same as they were prior to the holiday break.”

Local districts have also not made changes to their health and safety plan as it relates to masks. Districts have gone to a mask optional policy and any changes in 2022, as it relates to that or in-person versus remote learning, rest in the hands of the school boards.

“We are always concerned about the health and safety of our students,” Kinder said. “We will monitor the situation and address any new information as it comes about.”

Northern Lehigh Superintendent Matthew Link said there was also no discussion over the holiday break about not returning in-person Monday.

“It was not like it was last year,” Link said. “Our goal is to keep students learning in the classrooms as much as possible.”

Student attendance, Link said, was lower than average Monday across Northern Lehigh’s buildings, but staff attendance was “good and remains on par with how it was prior to the winter break.”

The district, he said, does not have a set threshold of positive COVID-19 cases that would kick it into a remote learning format, but there will be a constant monitoring of the situation.

“We do expect positive cases to rise,” Link said. “We will make decisions based on variables such as staffing and availability of bus drivers.”

Lehighton Area School District posted a message on its website indicating it is continuing to monitor U.S. Center for Disease Control guidelines.

“While there has been an uptick in case numbers nationally, thankfully, symptoms in most instances have been milder than before and are subsiding quickly,” the message stated. “However, we are concerned and will continue to monitor our local transmission levels in our community and individual schools. Moving forward, Lehighton Area School District’s goal is to continue with in-person learning. We will continue to take all precautions and necessary measures throughout the district.”

Lehighton is strongly encouraging all students and staff to wear masks moving forward.

The district also updated its quarantining guidelines on Monday. Students or staff members who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for five days from the date of the positive test. If after five days, the individual is asymptomatic they can return but must wear a mask for five more days. Anyone who is unvaccinated and has a household contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 must quarantine at home for five days, and is recommended to wear a mask around others until day 10. Anyone who is vaccinated and has a household contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 is recommended to wear a mask around others for 10 days, but does not need to quarantine.

Several districts across the state, including the School District of Lancaster, closed Monday due to staffing concerns in the wake of positive COVID-19 cases.

On a national level, former U.S. Center for Disease Control Director Richard Besser said Monday on NBC’s “Today Show” that he felt rising COVID-19 cases would, “make it challenging for many schools to stay open.”

In Jim Thorpe, Rushefski said he is monitoring the district’s positive cases on a day-by-day basis.

“I’m not saying we’re in the best place,” he said, “but we’re in a place where we can continue to teach and learn here with our students in person. So I think that’s the approach we have to take going forward. Just look at the situation in front of us and right now, it looks like we can continue to do in person teaching and learning.”