PSEA president calls for schools to follow health guidelines

Harrisburg, PA — As Pennsylvania continues to set record high numbers for COVID-19 cases, Pennsylvania State Education Association president Rich Askey renewed his call for schools to follow local health guidelines to keep students and staff safe.

READ MORE | Dept. of Health reports record-high 4,711 new cases in Pennsylvania

Guidelines recommend that schools with a “substantial” level of community spread (100 or more incidents per 100,000 or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate), should operate with a “full remote learning model.”

“The state departments of Health and Education developed these guidelines based on good science and what the infection rates are in a school’s community,” Askey said. “We must follow these guidelines to the letter. It’s the best way for us to slow the spread of this virus and keep our students, staff, and their families safe.”

Askey added that not alldistricts with “substantial” community spread for at least two weeks or more are following the guidelines calling for a temporary transition to remote learning.

On Monday, the Carlisle Area School District closed four of its schools with plans to reopen on November 16.

“The health and safety of students, staff, and our families must be our top priority," Askey said. "We call on all school district leaders to follow the state’s guidelines to protect the health and safety of everyone in our school communities.”

Askey is a Harrisburg music teacher and the president of PSEA. An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 180,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.