With 5 COVID cases, Pittston Area extends virtual-only learning to Jan. 4

YATESVILLE — The Pittston Area School board voted unanimously Tuesday to continue remote-only learning beyond the end of the first marking period.

The new tentative plan is to switch to a hybrid mode Jan. 4, with groups of students taking turns learning in school and online at home.

The vote came after Superintendent Kevin Booth announced there were five staff members at the high school who tested positive for COVID-19 so far. The district has had “a very small percentage of students in person at the high school,” and no positive test results among students. But following state recommendations, the high school was closed for 14 days and all teachers are working from home.

“This is a high school issue at this point, no other buildings were affected,” he said.

Booth also noted Luzerne County overall is deemed at moderate risk by the state’s pandemic metrics, that other area districts that opened with some level of in-person learning have been forced to close buildings up to two weeks, and that the number of cases in the district overall is on an upswing.

State ZIP code data shows that the Pittston code of 18640 — home to all four district schools — reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 from October 2 through last Friday.

Booth acknowledged there are “many concerns on both sides of this issue,” but added “this board and myself are taking the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously.”

The virtual meeting streamed on YouTube did not provide for direct comments from the audience but several people did send in comments that Booth read, some denouncing the decision as lacking data to support the move while others praised the district for making difficult decisions and thanking teachers and staff for being helpful and professional during the remote-only learning.

The board also voted to refinance two bond sets, one from 2012 and one from 2015, to take advantage of lower interest rates. Financial Consultant Michael Vind said the move does not extend the length of the loans, and that if the district does no new borrowing it would be debt free by 2027. The refinancing involves nearly $4.67 million in existing debt and is expected to save about $128,138.