The Pleasant Valley School Board approved the district’s updated health and safety plan on Thursday.

The federal American Rescue Plan Act requires that each district that receives funding under the rescue plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund create a health and safety plan. The state requires that districts revisit their plans every six months.

Some have questioned whether the district could lose federal funding for a plan not completely in line with federal requirements.

Kendall Alexander, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, said, “PDE has not withheld any funding, to date, due to any compliance issues.”

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal and correct wearing of masks. Pleasant Valley, like many other districts, says, “Mask wearing will be optional and dependent upon ‘point in time.’?”

Local and countywide transmission rates will be continually monitored, and mask wearing is required for all students riding on district buses and transportation as per the CDC order.

Local numbers

As of Friday, PVSD reported that 4.47% of the 1,182 elementary school students tested positive for COVID-19. That means 53 students tested positive between Jan. 10 and Jan. 14.

The intermediate school had a COVID-19 positive rate of 5.97% or 53 of its 877 students. The middle school had a positive rate of 5.34% or 34 of its 629 students. The high school had a COVID-19 positive rate of 4.65% or 56 of its 1,203 students in one week.

Monroe County has the third highest level of COVID-19 transmission in the state for the week of Jan. 7-13.

Lehigh and Northampton counties were first and second respectively. Carbon County was fourth highest in the state for community transmission of the virus.

Relief fund requirements also call for “modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing.” The CDC recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated stay at least 6 feet apart. That distance can be reduced to 3 feet apart “between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing to reduce transmission risk,” according to the CDC website under Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools.

PVSD’s plan states, “Students will be social distanced to the maximum extent feasible while in a classroom setting or any large group gathering, such as, athletic events and identified educational gatherings.”

The plan does not explain what is meant by “maximum extent feasible” in reference to the distance between students.

James Konrad, the superintendent for the school district, said, “We will socially distance ourselves to the greatest extent possible. If we cannot maintain 6 feet, we will try to maintain 5 feet or 4 feet, whenever possible. We will spread out as much as possible in any space in the school district.”

The district’s plan doesn’t state a minimum distance between students.

“Generally, we try to maintain at least 3 feet distance from each other, but sometimes that’s not always the case,” he said.

The relief fund requirements also call for contact tracing in collaboration with state and local health departments and gives guidance for isolation and quarantine.

Konrad said at the school board meeting that because community spread of COVID-19 is so high, contact tracing will not be done.

The district wants students and staff who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to seek medical attention and to refrain from coming to school.

District guidelines

The guidelines in the PVSD plan are similar to the CDC guidelines, but different, too. They include:

• If a student or staff tests positive for COVID-19, then he or she has to isolate for five days from the onset of symptoms or date of a positive test if asymptomatic.

If he or she is symptom free and fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication, then the person can return to school on the sixth day.

These are in line with the CDC guidelines, but this next one is not.

• If symptoms continue, the district recommends but does not require a person to wear a mask around others for an additional five days.

• The district also says that if a person has been in close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, then there is no need to quarantine. Students and staff are instructed to monitor their physical health. If COVID-19 symptoms arise, then they should seek medical attention, if necessary.

All COVID-19 patients should take precautions for 10 days, the CDC says. Wear a well-fitted mask for a full 10 days. Avoid travel, and avoid being around people who are at high risk of complications from COVID-19.

Trial delayed in killing of Lehighton man