PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Lower Merion School District has announced that students will not attend school on Monday, citing the significant rise in COVID-19 cases in the district and the schools' ability to test and contact-trace those who test positive.
In a letter posted on the district's site, Schools Superintendent Dr. Khalid Mumin said that all district staff will still report to work Monday.
The district will "conduct strategic testing of staff" and assess whether there is enough staffing to conduct school, Dr. Mumin said. He added they will also figure out if any schools need to go to virtual classes, based on the staff members who are or will need to go into isolation and quarantine.
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"Our goal is to continue in-person instruction as long as we can do so safely. Several developments over this past week have the potential to influence how we will be able to do that," said Dr. Mumin.
He said that the number and percentage of positive COVID-19 tests "appear to be higher" than at any other point of the pandemic, and those numbers often don't include results of at-home tests.
The district will provide transportation Monday to non-public schools.
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LMSD said that schools will re-open for students on Tuesday if enough staff are available to teach, but students and staff will need to screen daily for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if they have symptoms.
All students and staff will be required to wear masks in schools, other district buildings and on buses, and students can take class virtually with notification to their schools about attendance.
