COVID-19 Update for January 20, 2021
Central York School District has confirmed today with the Department of Health a new positive COVID-19 cases at Central York High School.
We encourage you to review the information below for a better understanding of the numbers reported and what they mean. If you have additional questions, please email them directly to Julie Randall Romig, Director of Communications, atjromig@cysd.k12.pa.us so that they can be addressed and shared with the group.
What Numbers Are Reported in the COVID-Tracker?
The number of positive cases of COVID-19 that have been reported to the school district and confirmed by the PA Department of Health by 12PM the day the tracker is updated and released. This tracker also includes the number of cases year-to-date.The confirmed positive cases by building are within a 14-day rolling period.
I Know Some Faculty/Students Who Are Quarantining But It’s Not on The Tracker. Why?
Confirmed positive cases reported in the tracker are those that occur with our faculty/staff or student population that have an impact on our schools in terms of exposures to others in school or the need to quarantine others who may have been exposed at school. If a staff member or student is exposed to COVID-19 outside of school and is quarantining as a result, the case is not reported through our tracker because it does not have an impact on our school. In addition, individuals who are quarantining due to travel are not listed in the COVID Tracker.
Why Does The Tracker Show Zero Cases & Quarantines?
When a building or school is closed for three or more days, the Department of Health guidelines state that the active positive case count resets to 0 for their tracking purposes. Because our buildings were closed for the holiday break, the number of positives reset to zero.
Why Don’t We Hear About Confirmed Positive Cases Right Away?
Once we are notified of a possible positive COVID-19 case, the district works with the school administrators, nurses and faculty/staff to provide the Department of Health with information so the case can be confirmed and we can begin contact tracing and communicating with any possible exposures regarding both the case & the quarantines required. Our administrators also contact any parents/guardians of students as well as any faculty/staff who may have been exposed to notify them directly before the Department of Health contacts them.
We then update our COVID-19 Tracker so that you can see the latest Year-to-Date totals and building occurrences. After all of these communications have occurred, we communicate to our faculty/staff and community the confirmation of new cases since the last update.
Do We Automatically Close When We Reach 6 Cases at the Middle School or High School?
The recommendation is to consider a short-term closure if cases are within the 6-10 range at Central York High School or Central York Middle School. Reaching the number 6 does not automatically trigger a closure. However, as we are experiencing today, and did in the fall, staffing shortages can also trigger a short-term closure to in-person instruction and a switch to remote learning. We are reviewing the data and recommendations multiple times daily and will try as always to keep our faculty, staff, families and students informed of any changes to our normal operations with as much notice as possible.
Why Was A School Closed Due to a Staffing Shortage, But the COVID-19 Tracker Shows 0 Staff Quarantined in That School?
Confirmed positive cases reported in the tracker are those that occur with our faculty/staff or student population that have an impact on our schools in terms of exposures to others in school or the need to quarantine others who may have been exposed at school. If a staff member or student is exposed to COVID-19 outside of school and is quarantining as a result, the case is not reported through our tracker because it does not have an impact on our school. In addition, individuals who are quarantining due to travel are not listed in the COVID Tracker.
There may be staff absent due to personal (outside-of-school exposures with no impact on students or staff) or other illness or reasons. We are bound to follow certain social distancing and health and safety guidelines as a requirement of staying open for in-person instruction at this time. If we do not have the staff to ensure these guidelines are followed appropriately, we may need to close the school for one day or more until we are able to hold in-person instruction with the required protocols in place.