February 12, 2021
Dear Shaler Area families,
We would like to thank everyone who completed the parent/guardian survey last week. We appreciate your feedback and are using it to guide our plans to move forward. In this week’s communication, please note the important information regarding:
Adding one additional in-person instruction day for Cohort A on Wednesday, Feb. 24;
Information about the parent/guardian survey and next steps as a district;
A summary of COVID-19 cases in Shaler Area for the week of Feb. 8.
Cohort A: In-person Instruction Day – Wednesday, Feb. 24
After much thought and discussion with administration and the school board, Shaler Area will amend its hybrid schedule for this month so that Wednesday, Feb. 24, is an in-person instruction day 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, and for this reason, we have identified this date as an opportunity to provide additional in-person instruction for these students. 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.
Parent/Guardian Survey Results and Next Steps
We are grateful for the close to 2,700 total respondents for taking the time to complete the parent/guardian survey last week. We are currently reviewing the data with the administration team and developing a plan to increase the number of in-person days.
Next Wednesday, Feb. 17, we will present a summary of the survey responses and the administration’s recommendations to the school board during its scheduled board meeting. We plan to share this information and the district’s finalized plan with Shaler Area families next week.
Next week’s board meeting is open to the public. If you are interested in participating in the meeting, you can call into the meeting or via RSVP to participate in person. To maintain the capacity limits on indoor gatherings, in-person participation will be limited. Once the in-person attendance capacity is reached, you can still participate via the virtual platform. Information regarding the specifics of the platform and RSVP form will be posted to the district website on Monday, Feb. 15.
We recognize the impact of our decisions moving forward. Please know that we take our responsibility to educate students and provide a safe learning environment for students and staff very seriously.
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:
One employee at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 5.
Two students at Shaler Area Middle School tested positive on Feb. 5.
Two students at Shaler Area Elementary School tested positive on Feb. 5.
One student at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 6.
Two students at Shaler Area Middle School tested positive on Feb. 6.
One student at Shaler Area Elementary School tested positive on Feb. 6.
One student at Burchfield Primary tested positive on Feb. 6.
One employee at Marzolf Primary tested positive on Feb. 7.
One employee at Reserve Primary tested positive on Feb. 7.
Three students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 8.
Two students at Shaler Area Middle School tested positive on Feb. 8.
Three students at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 9.
One student at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 10.
One student at Shaler Area Middle School tested positive on Feb. 10.
One employee at Shaler Area Elementary School tested positive on Feb. 10.
One student at Shaler Area High School tested positive on Feb. 11.
As we communicated earlier this week, Shaler Area High School and Middle School temporarily transitioned to the Virtual Instruction Model for all Cohorts and will resume in-person activities on Monday, Feb. 15, and in-person instruction on Tuesday, Feb. 16, as Monday is an in-service day. This decision was in accordance with the state Department of Health’s recommendations to close individual school buildings that experience a certain number of positive COVID-19 cases based on the size of the school within a rolling 14-day period.
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 support as we navigate this unusual school year together.
Sincerely,
Sean C. Aiken, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Bryan E. O’Black, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent