Dear Dr. Erik Kincade, As COVID-19 rates increase throughout Erie County and Fairview Township, it is important that Fairview School District take a proactive approach as we strive to protect our students and families. The pandemic team is recommending that Fairview School district immediately transitions to an entirely remote model of learning. This is not an easy recommendation to make, however we feel it is necessary at this time. This recommendation is based on a combination of factors including district data, guidance provided by the commonwealth, and scientific evidence. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (DOE), Substantial Community Spread in the County is defined as an incidence rate greater than or equal to 100 and a percent positivity rate greater than or equal to 10%. The DOE’s recommendation for schools, when in the Substantial Community Spread in the County, is for schools to transition to remote only instruction. According to the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard, as of 11/13/2020 Erie County has an incidence rate of 193.3 and a percent positivity rate of 10.6%. The current incidence rate is nearly double the threshold for transition to remote only instruction. Within the FSD, a “COVID related” absence is defined as a student who is absent due to symptoms of illness, is a sibling of a student with symptoms of illness, is a close contact, is isolating due to being a positive case, is isolating due to refusal of testing, or quarantining out of an abundance of caution, which is allowed at a family’s discretion. We have seen an increase in students and staff with absences deemed “COVID related.” From 11/14 - 11/19, there were 39 new students who had a COVID related absence. As of 11/19/2020 at 2:00, we have 68 students who are active cases (absent due to being COVID related) and 7 positive cases, including 1 staff member. We recommend, based on the best evidence available, immediate closure and return only when we meet the criteria provided by the DOE to return to hybrid instruction. Our recommended return plan is to remain remote-only until our county transmission level is in the moderate range for two consecutive weeks (moderate transmission is defined as an incidence rate of less than 100 or a percent positivity rate of 5 to less than 10%). We feel as if FSD has done a great job keeping our students and staff safe from COVID-19. Because we are in uncharted territory, we don’t have data to support the assumption that we will be able to continue to prevent school spread of COVID-19 as the number of cases in Erie County increases. We must set the example that decisions that affect the safety of our community will be based on scientific evidence, data and state guidelines. To reiterate our recommendations, the Pandemic Team feels as if immediate school closure is the only answer and it would be reckless to delay transition to remote learning another day. Respectfully yours, The Pandemic Team
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