HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Department of Education has released more recommended guidelines for schools to follow when determining if classes should be held in person, online or a mix of both.
The Dept. of Ed released this chart for school districts to use as guidance when determining what the upcoming school year should look like.The chart looks at the cases per 100,000 residents and the testing positivity rate to determine a county's risk or low, moderate, and substantial.
According to the Department of Health, Perry and Juniata Counties are in the low tier. Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, and York Counties are in the moderate tier, which means it is recommended they do full online learning or a blended hybrid model, like split schedules.
"i think it's important to realize, at the end of the day, our education community is focused on ensuring and providing the health and safety of students, staff and communities," said Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera. "While at the same time offering equitable education and opportunities."
Rivera stressed these are just recommended guidelines, with the ability for school districts to evolve their learning methods as the school year progresses and cases either increase or decrease.
The DOH says, more guidelines for districts to determine who should quarantine or when to close school when positive cases of COVID-19 appear will be released in the coming days.