*Please check back for details regarding the 2021-22 school year
State-mandated school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic
At 2:59 p.m. March 13, 2020 Gov. Tom Wolf issued an announcement that all schools in Pennsylvania would be closed for 10 business days beginning Monday, March 16. That was later extended to April 6, and then until further notice and for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. This included the physical gathering of all school-related activities and events, and athletics. His administration continues to work with Bellefonte Area School District as it monitors COVID-19, also known as novel coronavirus, in the commonwealth. Although no school was penalized if it failed to meet the 180 day or school hour requirements, the district, nonetheless, created and updated its distance learning program for K-12 students as required by the state.
Please see the district's Q&A that aims to answer as many questions as possible regarding the school closure and what that means for the future of the district and its stakeholders. It also incudes information about the 2020-21 school year through the end of the year. We are working to provide as much information as possible, as it becomes available: District Q&A
Contingency plan
The district is planning on how to best educate students if schools need to be closed for an extended period beyond the 2019-20 school year by complying with Free Appropriate Public Education, and following guidance from the state Department of Education. We understand not every family has access to reliable broadband internet services and some students require additional services. On March 30, 2020, an enrichment and review plan was rolled out with a menu of online and offline learning options. On April 27, 2020 that was enhanced to planned learning as required by the state. See details, here: Learning for K-12 students. Student learning options for the 2020-21 school will vary based on which phase of reopening Centre County is in. Learn more, in the link that describes information about reopening school: 2020-21 school year
Facilities use protocol
As all schools in Pennsylvania are closed through the end of the 2019-20 school year, so too are practices and athletic events suspended. All district buildings and grounds are closed to the public during this time, unless otherwise noted. This was evaluated for the 2020-21 school year, which athletics were back, but spectators were limited.
Travel protocol
The district has also taken steps to reduce the chance of acquiring and transmitting the virus by canceling travel to all conferences and workshops for staff until further notice. This will be reviewed for each field trip on a case-by-case basis once school resumes in the 2020-21 school year. Additionally, it's encouraged that families with known travel plans into areas with identified cases upon their return from such trips, self-quarantine for 14 days and follow CDC guidelines for self-monitoring.
Healthy habits
The district continues to promote healthy habits to include regular hand washing for all students and staff. Handwashing should happen many times daily, and before and after touching surfaces that are frequently touched by others. The CDC recommends avoiding unnecessary travel especially into known areas where the virus exists. Individuals who are sick should stay home and remain home until they are symptom-free. If you have symptoms such as fever of more than 100 degrees, difficulty breathing and more, please call your healthcare provider for guidance.
Please visit this link for more suggested tips to help avoid sickness: Healthy habits
