February 19, 2021

Dear Shaler Area families,

In this week’s communication, please note important information regarding: 

• Information about our transition to 4-day in-person instruction and upcoming deadlines; 

• Reminder of the additional in-person instruction day for Cohort A on Wednesday, Feb. 24;

• A summary of COVID-19 cases in SASD for the week of Feb. 15.

4-Day In-Person Instruction Transition Plan

As we shared yesterday, Shaler Area is planning for a transition to 4-day in-person instruction for students in K-12 in a phased model over the course of the next two months. While we know our community is divided on this issue, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our students’ academic growth and social and emotional well-being. 

Below you will find the proposed transition timeline for increasing in-person instruction. Please note that these dates are subject to change based on the positivity rates and case counts in Allegheny County and the school district.

Parent Commitment Form & Town Hall meetings

The Parent Commitment Form will indicate your family’s commitment for your student(s) to attend 4-day in-person instruction or the 100% virtual option. This will help us plan for the transition in each building. Forms are due on Friday, Feb. 26, for K-3 families and Friday, March 5, for 4-6 families. 

Please fill out one form per student: https://forms.gle/SVZEJAkKHZwnrgvM7. 

We know that you may have questions about the district’s transition to 4-day in-person instruction, so we will host a series of Parent Town Hall meetings to help answer your questions before your grade-level commitment form is due. Below is the schedule for K-6 families. These meetings will be recorded for families who cannot attend at the scheduled times.

K-3 Parent/Guardian Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday, Feb. 23 – 4:30 p.m.

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93315255980

• Meeting ID: 933 1525 5980

• Join by phone: 646-558-8656

Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Noon

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97478615258

• Meeting ID: 974 7861 5258

• Join by phone: 646-558-8656

4-6 Parent/Guardian Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday, March 2 – 4:30 p.m.

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/99841402201

• Meeting ID: 998 4140 2201

• Join by phone: 646-558-8656

Wednesday, March 3 – Noon

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93356523346

• Meeting ID: 933 5652 3346

• Join by phone: 646-558-8656

*The commitment forms and Parent/Guardian Town Hall meeting schedule for families 7-12 will be shared later in March.

Cohort A: In-person Instruction Day – Wednesday, Feb. 24

As a reminder, Wednesday, Feb. 24, is an in-person instruction day for students in Cohort A.

We amended our hybrid schedule for this month to provide additional in-person instruction for students in Cohort A. We recognize that Cohort A has missed additional in-person instruction time as a result of three in-service days and two snow days. Students in Cohort B and Cohort C will participate virtually on this day as previously scheduled. Cohort A students who are unable to attend in-person on Feb. 24 for any reason also can participate virtually.

COVID-19 Summary

In a continued effort to better communicate how the pandemic is affecting the district, below is a summary of the additional positive COVID-19 cases added since our communication last Friday: 

• Two students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 12.

• Two students at Scott Primary School tested positive on Feb. 12.

• One employee at Shaler Area Elementary School tested positive on Feb. 12

• One student at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 14.

• One employee at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 15.

• Two students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 16. 

• Two students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 17.

• One student at Marzolf Primary School tested positive on Feb. 18.

• Four students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 18.

• One student at Shaler Area Elementary School tested positive on Feb. 19.

As we communicated earlier this week, Shaler Area High School extended its temporary transition to the Virtual Instruction Model for all Cohorts and will resume in-person instruction and athletics/activities on Monday, Feb. 22. 

The district, in partnership with the Allegheny County Health Department, has identified and notified any individuals who have been identified as a close contact. When a positive COVID-19 case occurs in the district, we will continue to send an email to all families and staff members of the affected building and update our district’s COVID-19 dashboard: https://www.sasd.k12.pa.us/COVID-19Dashboard.aspx.

As always, thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this school year together. 

Sincerely, 

Sean C. Aiken, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools 

Bryan E. O’Black, Ed.D. 

Assistant Superintendent