Beaver Area School District dealing with “unimaginable number of COVID-19 positive students”

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Beaver Area School District officials said they are dealing with a “previously unimaginable number of COVID-19 positive students” at the high school and Dutch Ridge Elementary.

According to a message on the district’s website, the number of students and staff members in those two buildings who have tested positive over the past two weeks is now above the threshold at which the Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends closing. As a result, only the high school and the elementary school will move to remote instruction starting Monday.

Students will return to class in-person Monday, Sept. 20.

District leaders are asking parents to monitor their children for any symptoms and to keep them home if they don’t feel well.

While it’s not clear how many students have tested positive at the high school and elementary school, school officials posted that there are currently 60 students and seven staff members who are COVID-19 positive throughout the district.

“I hate to say it but I’m not surprised,” Susan Boser said. “Of course it’s not ideal because I’m a working parent and it’s hard to have kids at home during the day because I’m also working from home right now too. But I think if that’s that we have to do to keep the kids safe until the numbers go down, then that’s what we have to do.”

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