Pottstown Schools Virtual Into December
POTTSTOWN, PA — Pottstown School District will move to virtual learning starting next week as the Montgomery County responds to the spread of COVID-19.
Superintendent of Schools Stephen Rodriguez said, "In an effort to proactively address the potential for school-based transmission, the Pottstown School District must follow the order of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health, which has voted to require all schools to move to virtual/remote learning only between Nov. 23 and Dec. 6."
An increase in COVID-19 positivity rates was anticipated this fall, and Montgomery County and many parts of Pennsylvania and the U.S. are now seeing serious increases, Rodriguez explained. As of Thursday, Montgomery County had tallied 18, 155 cases.
The district's order applies to all students, all programs, and also requires that schools suspend all co-curricular activities and sports from Nov. 23 to Dec. 6.
The superintendent assured families that during this mandated closure it continue to meet the needs of food security for district children. "As you may know our district staff has resumed responsibility for food distribution. We will continue the Monday pick up at the high school, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and deliveries on the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday schedule."
The Office of Public Health (OPH) has told schools that it wants to take a proactive approach to an anticipation that families will be gathering and traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The OPH anticipates that this two-week school move to fully virtual instruction will ultimately give schools a stronger chance at keeping community and school based transmission low.
Health officials have further advised public schools that the two-week move to virtual instruction is prudent given a surge in rising case counts and an increase in hospitalizations.
"As always, the safety of our students and staff remains our priority. As we continue to move through a challenging school year, we are relying on the advice and support of local medical experts to help guide our decisions. We will continue to communicate with you so that we can all stay as safe as possible," Rodriguez said.
This article originally appeared on the Pottstown Patch
