Pittston Area Superintendent: Remote-only lessons likely through January

YATESVILLE — Citing the more than 500 new cases of COVID-19 reported for Luzerne County on Thursday — a new single-day record — Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth said a return to in-person lessons is unlikely through January.

The county remains in “substantial” risk of community spread, he said, and the state recommends remote-only learning until the county reaches “moderate” and stays there for two consecutive weeks — unlikely as the number of cases has been rising rather than dropping.

“In previous meetings we expected to back to hybrid mode Jan. 4,” Booth said. “That is looking less likely.” While the district monitors the situation constantly, he noted the second quarter ends Jan. 29 and “We’re probably looking somewhere around the end of January before we can start making decisions to move to the hybrid platform.”

The voting session was short with only one debate when appointment of coaches. Partway through the vote Board President Frank Serino stopped the vote and asked if the original intent had been to table the vote for the head girls soccer coach. After some debate and advice from Solicitor Sam Falcone, the board voted to hire the other coaches while tabling the soccer position.

The board also approved a new Act 93 Administrator Compensation Plan that runs from July 1, this year though June 30, 2025. Act 93 employees are generally those not belonging to one of the district’s unions.

And the board voted to increase pay for substitute teachers to $110 per day.