Perry County schools shift to online learning only

The Perry County School District is shifting to 100% online learning after the Labor Day weekend due to an increase in COVID-19 transmission in the county.

All schools in the Perry County district will close to students at 3 p.m. Friday and will remain closed for at least two weeks.

According to district superintendent Andy Comstock, the decision to move to a “virtual” instruction format was made after the Perry County Health Department raised the county’s COVID-19 alert level to “moderately high” Wednesday morning.

The alert level was elevated after the health department reported 49 new lab-confirmed coronavirus cases and six probable cases in the county between Saturday and Tuesday.

In a letter to district parents Wednesday, Comstock said the health department’s action triggered the district’s decision.

“Let me be clear,” he said in the letter, “the health department did not issue an order to close schools. This is the plan we as a district adopted in August.”

The district’s plan, he said, considers the “best course of action” for the district’s 2,400 students, their families, and the district’s 350 faculty and staff members.

The district’s 2020-2021 school year began Aug. 26 with students and staff observing social distancing, personal hygiene and other precautions to guard against the spread of coronavirus.

“We believe our campus is safe,” Comstock said. “We also know that COVID-19 does not seem to affect children as seriously as adults. So why close? The short answer is that students do not attend school in a bubble.”

The superintendent said the district’s staff has been impacted by the virus “and, in some areas, we’re already experiencing significant staff shortages. We can’t have school if we don’t have teachers and substitutes, drivers and cooks. By closing during periods of community transmission, our staff will work in isolated conditions to lessen the likelihood of having to quarantine or isolate away from work.”

Although district schools will close as of Friday, athletic events will continue through Monday “under current ticketing guidelines,” with no spectators except parents in attendance, according to the district’s website.

The district plans to post weekly updates about its status and eventual reopening on its website, www.pcsd32.com, starting Sept. 10.

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