Return to School

During this unprecedented time of change, we know that the 2020-2021 school year will look different and we are implementing health and safety measures to protect our students, staff, and families.

The circumstances related to COVID-19 evolve rapidly, and we will update our plans frequently based on guidance from local, commonwealth, and national guidelines.

NASD Health & Safety Plan

NASD Education Plan

January 2021 Health & Safety Update

February 2021 Health & Safety Update

March 2021 Health & Safety Update

April 2021 Health & Safety Update

May 2021 Health & Safety Update

Fourth Quarter Re-Enrollment - 2020-2021 School Year - March 4, 2021

Beginning Monday, March 8, parents/guardians will have the option to select an instructional model (in-person instruction or NA Cyber Academy) for their student(s) for the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter begins on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Fourth Quarter Re-Enrollment 

Grades K-8 

In the fourth quarter, students in grades K-8 who enroll in In-Person Instruction will be in the Full-Time phase of In-Person instruction, meaning students will attend school five days a week.

Grades 9-12

In the fourth quarter, students in grades 9-12 who enroll in In-Person Instruction will be in the Full-Time phase of In-Person instruction. Students will begin the quarter attending in-person four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) with Wednesday being a remote day. Families that select the In-Person Instruction model for the fourth quarter are doing so knowing that a student may return to five days of in-person instruction prior to the end of the school year.  

K-12 Fourth Quarter Enrollment Process

• An email to re-enroll will be sent to all parents/guardians listed in Tyler SIS Student 360 for each student by the end of the day on Monday (note: emails will be sent in batches, so you may not receive yours at the same time as other parents/guardians). 
• The option you select will be in effect for the entire fourth quarter, beginning on April 6 and ending on June 11. 
• We ask that all families confirm their enrollment selection no later than Sunday, March 14 at 11:59 p.m.  
• Submissions received after March 14 will not be accepted. If an enrollment selection is not made, students will automatically be enrolled in their current instructional model for the fourth quarter.

North Allegheny Cyber Academy (NACA) will continue to be an option for those who desire a fully remote learning experience.

All In-Person Instruction phases are subject to change as the District monitors the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, county, and region.

The District cannot guarantee the same schedule, classes, and/or teachers when switching between In-Person Instruction and NACA. 

Monitoring the Spread of COVID-19

• We will follow the PDE Recommendations for Pre-K to 12 Schools Following Identification of a Case(s) of COVID-19 for moderate level of transmission below.

• If a building needs to close due to the amount of COVID-19 cases within a 14-day period, students will learn remotely.
• If the county enters the Substantial level of transmission for two weeks in a row, students in grades 9-12 will return to a hybrid model. 

We must continue working together for our students

We cannot be successful in a return to In-Person learning unless we make a community commitment to the health and well-being of all, both in school and in our daily lives.

COVID-19 Vaccines for NASD Staff

• North Allegheny School District has started the process to provide our staff with the opportunity to be vaccinated.
• In the next two weeks, Pennsylvania will obtain approximately 94,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. This allotment has been set aside by the state for PreK-12 educators and school support staff (public and non-public). The departments of Education (PDE) and Health (DOH) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) are collaborating with the PA Intermediate Units and other education partners to develop an equitable statewide vaccine distribution plan. 
• While initial doses are limited, all PreK-12 school staff will be given an opportunity to receive the vaccination. Vaccinating over 200,000 educators and other school staff will occur as quickly as supplies allow.

Stay Home When You Are Ill

Parents/guardians are required to screen their student(s) daily for symptoms. Staff is also required to conduct daily health screenings. If your student is sick, please keep them home and contact a medical professional. A doctor may determine that testing is needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

Continue to Report Positive COVID-19 Cases To Your Building Nurse

• Slowing the spread of COVID-19 within our community keeps our staff and students safe. 

Follow the Commonwealth Mask Order

• Wearing masks throughout the school day and during transportation times remains essential to ensuring a safe school environment. 

We are committed to keeping North Allegheny families updated. Please do not hesitate to contact your school principal with any specific questions you may have.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work together during this pandemic.

Updates To NASD Instructional Plan - December 9, 2020

Federal, commonwealth, and local health officials are requesting all of us to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in order to keep our students, staff, and community safe. The North Allegheny School District will therefore implement new mitigation efforts beginning on Monday, December 14.

Moving to remote learning is a difficult decision for the North Allegheny School Board of Directors and Administration, and we know it will impact our students, staff, and families in different ways. Our goal this year has been to maximize in-person learning opportunities for our students while minimizing the spread of COVID-19. At this time, that goal is not sustainable and we realize the changing phases of instruction is difficult for all. We plan to resume In-Person Instruction on January 19. The North Allegheny Cyber Academy schedule will continue as planned.  

The District, your student’s school building, and teacher(s) will communicate additional details about our plans in the upcoming days and weeks. This will include attendance, instructional procedures, and information regarding meal pickup. 

As we move towards winter break, we know that our students, teachers, and staff have worked hard to make the best of these challenging circumstances. The continued support of our entire community will be key for us to finish the 2020-2021 school year strong.

Update to In-Person Instructional Model - November 30, 2020

The North Allegheny instructional model is subject to change at any time based on the new Attestation Order (details below).

• Based on the Attestation Order, the District will be required to make changes to the Instructional Model quickly based on our active COVID-19 cases at an individual building.
  • It is important for families to have a plan in place for Full Remote Instruction on short notice.

• On November 24, 2020, Secretary Levine signed an Order that provides authority to PDE to develop and distribute an attestation form and directs a mandatory move to remote learning if a public school entity does not sign the Attestation. This Order was issued on November 23, 2020, and is available on DOH’s website.
• This Attestation provides requirements for Public School Entities Operating with In-Person Learning in Counties in the Substantial Range of Community Transmission (Allegheny County has been in the substantial range for a two-week period ending November 26):  
  • Whenever any public school entity is providing in-person instruction, that public school entity, through its Chief School Administrator and Chair/President of its Governing Board, must attest, through their execution of the Attestation, that they:
    • Have read the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Requiring Universal Face Coverings, effective November 18, 2020, including necessary exceptions and associated guidance, and that the public school entity is complying and will continue to comply with and enforce the Updated Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Requiring Universal Face Coverings, including necessary exceptions and associated guidance.
    • Have read the Recommendations for Pre-K to 12 Schools Following Identification of a Case(s) of COVID-19, and as cases of COVID-19 occur within the public school entity, the public school entity will comply with the recommendations.  
• Recommendations for Pre-K to 12 Schools Following Identification of a Case(s) of COVID-19 as it applies to the North Allegheny School District buildings can be found on the NA website. This document aligns each NASD school building to the state student enrollment designations of small, medium, or large. This information will be used to determine when a school must go to full remote based on this new order.

North Allegheny School District Attestation

• NASD Acting Superintendent Dr. Patrick O’Toole and School Board of Directors President Richard McClure signed and submitted the Attestation on Monday, November 30 with the intent to provide In-Person Instruction, for as long as possible, given the new restrictions. A copy of this document can be found on our website. 

• Your student should participate in remote instruction until a school District representative discusses a return to school date with you based on your family’s individual travel circumstances in relation to the order.
• After submission of a Travel Form, a District representative will review it, and you will be contacted to discuss the scheduled date of return that is appropriate for your child(ren).
• If your family is planning to travel out of Pennsylvania, and your student is enrolled in NA Cyber Academy and does not participate in District extra-curricular activities and/or athletics, you do not need to complete this procedure.

• Your family may be in a situation that requires your student to quarantine and receive remote instruction between December 1-11, 2020, following Thanksgiving Break. Please complete this form to begin a family-directed quarantine from December 1 through December 11.  
• If your student or someone in your household is testing for COVID-19, they must remain at home. If you have other concerns about the health of your child, please keep them home.

1. Log onto classes via Blackboard and participate in instruction for each course.
2. Student’s attendance will be marked with an attendance R (remote) code for the extent of remote instruction. This code will allow students to participate remotely from home during their typical “in-person days” without penalty.

• On November 17, the order for face coverings was updated. You can view the entire order here.
• What is an acceptable face covering?
  • The DOH has determined a mask or face shield is an acceptable alternative face covering if it covers the nose and mouth, extends below the chin, and to the ears. However, the amended Order states that a face shield must leave no exposed gap between the forehead and the shield’s headpiece to be compliant with the Order. The face shields which clip onto eyeglass frames and leave a gap between the shield and the forehead are no longer compliant with the DOH Order. Staff wearing the face shield alternative should ensure their shield is compliant with the Order. 

• Community spread of the illness in classrooms, individual school buildings, and across the building/District.
• Lack of Bus Drivers to cover necessary runs to get students to and from school for the day.
• The number of teachers absent causes an inability to cover classrooms in a manner that ensures the safety and welfare of students.
• Inability to provide food to students during the school day due to the absence of METZ employees.
• Lack of custodial staff to be able to clean buildings nightly.
• Lack of coverage in Health Clinics due to nurse/support nurse absence.
• Directives from the county, commonwealth, or federal authorities.

• Given the current health conditions in the county, the District has decided to delay enrollment decisions. 
• Enrollment for quarter three of the 2020-2021 school year will be held in January.

NASD to Move to Remote Learning 11/19 - 11/30

The North Allegheny School District will move to remote learning for all students beginning Thursday, November 19 through and including Monday, November 30. 

Updates to the Second Quarter Education Plan

• Grades K-12 will return to Hybrid In-Person Learning on Tuesday, December 1.
• To equalize in-person instruction days, the cohort schedule for Tuesday, December 1, through Friday, December 4 will be as follows:
  • Tuesday, December 1 & Wednesday, December 2: Cohort 1 will attend In-Person Instruction. 
  • Thursday, December 3 & Friday, December 4: Cohort 2 will attend In-Person Instruction.
• We will announce plans for December 7 and beyond by Monday, November 30.
• Due to the constantly changing nature of this pandemic, this schedule is subject to change. 
• Activities and Athletics may continue unless otherwise communicated.
• NA Cyber Academy instruction will continue. 
• School is not in session on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27 in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday. 
• All District buildings will be closed to the public beginning Monday, November 23, and will reopen on Monday, November 30.

Since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, it has been North Allegheny’s goal to maximize the time students have with their teachers while minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19. While we believe that students benefit from In-Person Instruction, there is a rising health and safety risk due to the community spread of COVID-19 as documented in the data below.

Allegheny County Data

North Allegheny is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 data in Allegheny County. As of Monday, November 16, over the last seven days there have been 2,870 COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County, and 4,730 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Allegheny County in the month of November. These numbers also show a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in children, teens, and hospitalizations.

As of Friday, November 13, Allegheny County was moved to the substantial risk category. This means the county has more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven day period, or a percent positivity rate above 10 percent over seven days. Allegheny County has had 100 new cases per 100,000 in a seven day period.

Local Municipality Data

In the municipalities we serve there is an increased positivity rate. Positivity rate is defined as the percentage of all coronavirus tests taken that are actually positive over a seven-day period. Our cumulative percent positivity rate for the municipalities that NASD serves is above 10 percent over seven days (November 4-10).

North Allegheny School District Data

As compared to the county and municipalities we serve, North Allegheny School District has also seen a rise in COVID-19 cases within the District. 

COVID-19 Cases in NASD by Month

Based on our contact tracing, and after consultation with the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), we do not have any indication that these cases are connected or that COVID-19 is spreading within the District. We are seeing a spike in both students and staff needing to quarantine due to outside positive cases (i.e. a member of the household tests positive, they were around a positive individual at an off-campus gathering). This has resulted in a lack of staff and therefore challenges with covering classrooms and bus routes.

Remote Learning Instructions

• On Thursday, November 19, all in-person students will move to full-remote learning.
• Log onto classes via Blackboard and participate in instruction for each course.

Meal Pick Up

• Meal pick up will be available on Wednesday, November 18. This form needs to be completed by noon on Tuesday, November 16. Meals may be picked up on Wednesday at NASH between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. for remote learning days November 19 and November 20. A separate form will be sent out to families for upcoming meal pick up dates.

Next Steps

• The District will continue to monitor positive cases in the District and county. 
• In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, NASD will not communicate any new cases from Wednesday, November 25 at 3:00 p.m. through Friday, November 27 at noon.

There is no simple solution to manage public education in this pandemic. There are many unknowns and the situation changes daily. We know that changes to the instructional model impact our families in different ways, so we wanted to allow both our families and staff time to plan for the full-remote instructional model. Please watch for official announcements from the District. We are committed to timely communication and changes will be announced as they occur.