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Hollidaysburg Area and Tyrone Area school districts notified parents this week that the districts had confirmed cases of COVID-19.
In a letter to parents and guardians dated Thursday, Oct. 8, Hollidaysburg said that an individual at the high school tested positive for COVID-19.
"As you are aware, this is the second confirmed COVID case within the past two weeks," states the letter from Superintendent Robert J. Gildea. "School administration immediately began implementing contact tracing protocol and is currently awaiting additional guidance from the Department of Health."
Today's classes at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School will be virtual, Gildea said in the letter, noting that all students are required to follow the same sign-in process as they would on a remote learning day. Students are to access daily assignments via Google Classroom. All other Hollidaysburg schools are to follow normal hybrid schedules.
While the senior high school lessons will be virtual, Gildea said after-school activities will continue as directed by advisers and coaches.
The school is expected to resume the normal hybrid cohort A schedule on Monday, Gildea said.
In a letter to parents dated Tuesday, Oct. 6, and posted on the Tyrone Area School District website, Superintendent Leslie Estep reported that the district confirmed that an elementary school student has tested positive for COVID-19.
"As is our protocol, we immediately contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Health, as well as initiated our own contact tracing protocols. The school district has identified students and adults that are at risk of exposure, communicated required quarantines and encouraged individuals to contact their health care providers," Estep said in the letter.
Classes at the school continue, Estep said.
"The Tyrone Area School District's goal is to maintain the health, safety and well-being of the students, staff and community as we educate our students," the letter states. "We will continue to follow our enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols and other health and safety measures."
In the letter, Estep asks families to continue to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health's recommendations regarding COVID-19.
"Some of these recommendations include: wash your hands often, wear a face covering, cover coughs and sneezes and maintain social distancing to the extent possible," she stated.
As a preventative measure, Tyrone is asking families to keep a child home and contact a medical provider if the child is ill and/or exhibiting flu-like symptoms.