December 2, 2020

To the Penn-Delco Community,

I write today with yet another update for our district community on matters involving school district responses to the continued regional COVID-19 virus spread. The PA Secretary of Health recently ordered public school districts in counties with two consecutive weeks of substantial transmission to attest to compliance with updated recommendations as a condition of offering any in-person instruction, including our hybrid schedule. The information on those orders is as follows:


These requirements are new and significantly different from what has been in place previously. In sum, the Department of Health (DOH) has issued specific metrics that would trigger a short-term closing of schools for in-person instruction and force a school to only provide remote, virtual learning during that period of time.

New minimums
When the number of known positive cases of COVID among staff and students meet a minimum number set by the state, districts must revert to virtual learning for a period of either 3-7 days, or potentially up to 14 days. Of note, the state permits districts to shorten these periods once all cleaning, contact tracing, and case management is complete. I have confidence in our staff that we may very well be able to do so efficiently and safely.

Due to the new state recommendations, everyone should anticipate the possibility (and likelihood) of having their school schedule moved from a hybrid schedule to an all-virtual schedule with little notice. Please have backup childcare plans in place due to the likelihood of your child’s school having to move to virtual learning at some point.

Further, it is possible that some (but not all) individual schools could revert to virtual learning at a given time as the data is school-based and not a districtwide total. Please remind your child to bring necessary personal items and their Chromebook home with them each day so they are able to access virtual learning should schools close.

Parents and staff at any affected school will be notified by voice call and email once  the district has determined we are required to halt in-person instruction, similar to school closing calls on inclement weather days.

A few other pertinent points
  • The district expects families to honor the PA travelers order that requires persons who travel out of state, in excess of 24 hours, to quarantine for 14 days upon return or have received a negative COVID-19 test result. Students who travel and must quarantine, or do not have a negative test, can continue to access virtual instruction from home during that period of time. The updated travelers order exempts children under the age of 11 and has several other exemptions.

  • The efforts of Penn-Delco staff, students and families have been superb thus far. Although county virus spread remains high, the district still has avoided any in-school linked transmission thanks to the mitigation efforts in place. We hope to keep it that way! 

  • Our school nurses have worked tirelessly this year to do their jobs and manage vastly increased levels of communication with parents. Their success relies on the continued open and candid communication about possible COVID exposures. Thank you for your assistance in responding to their calls and inquiries.

It is our hope that we do not need to revert to 100% virtual learning in any of our schools, but staff and parents should prepare for that possibility due to the updated DOH recommendations. Thank you again for your attention to these matters that require school districts, staff, and families to continue to adjust and adapt to changing conditions and state requirements. Your understanding and support is always appreciated.

Sincerely Yours, 

Dr. George Steinhoff