There is no definitive number. Instead, PDE has provided a range, based on school enrollment, that correlates to recommended guidelines. The data for each school will be closely examined in context with medical experts from the Allegheny County Health Department. Throughout the last eight months, USC school leaders have always followed ACHD’s guidance and will continue to do so as we move forward.

*”If case investigations, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfecting can be accomplished in a faster time frame, the length of closure time may be shortened.” (per PDE guidelines)

Per PDE guidelines, after a building closure and upon re-opening, the number of cases for that school is reset to 0. This change will be reflected in USCHS COVID-19 Dashboard on the day the building reopens.

If case investigations, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfecting can be accomplished in a faster time frame, the length of closure time may be shortened. This decision will be made in consultation with the Allegheny County Health Department.

For the top graph (PDE COVID+ Cases), the District has adopted PDE/DOH’s new reporting methodology, which is the date of symptom onset or the date of a positive asymptomatic COVID-19 test, whichever is earlier.

Case data are added in real time as information is reported to the District. Therefore, the Dashboard data will be updated as needed throughout each day.

While the total number of COVID+ cases of BOTH students and staff members count toward the PDE/DOH thresholds for closure; ONLY student enrollment is used to determine each school’s size category.

Students and staff could be quarantined due to reasons unrelated to the school setting including out-of-state travel or deemed a close contact of a family member, friend or others. The PDE/DOH nor the ACHD have prescribed action based on this metric.

The dashboard includes all known COVID-19 cases affiliated with Upper St. Clair School District. This includes hybrid and remote educational programs. In some cases, the individual who tested positive was not present within any school facility during his/her infectious period. Therefore, school-wide notification is not warranted.

The first priority in communication is for the identification and notification of close contacts and their families. In addition, the district will send an email to all families within the specific school (versus District-wide) when a student/staff member tests positive for COVID-19 and contact tracing indicates potential exposure to others within the school during the infectious period. 

Click here to access all district or school-wide COVID-19 notifications by date (this does not include notifications to close contacts). 

Please note that school-wide communications will not be sent when positive cases occur outside of school settings that did not affect others through school-related contact nor when there are positive cases in which individuals were not in school during the infectious period. In these cases, the data will be added to the dashboard; however, school-wide communication will not occur in an effort to protect that individual's personal health information (PHI).

• Families are asked to report positive results to their school nurse as soon as possible so that contact tracing can begin immediately. 
• Staff members should contact Diane Mariano (dmariano@uscsd.k12.pa.us) in Human Resources. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days, be clear of symptoms for 48 hours, and complete all return-to-school/work procedures before returning to any district building or activity.
• District staff work closely with officials from the Allegheny County Health Department. Close contacts will be contacted and directed to quarantine for 10 days from the last exposure to the positive individual.
• Siblings and family members within the same household must quarantine for 10 days after they are isolated from the positive case or from the conclusion of the isolation period. A negative COVID-19 test does not preclude the need to quarantine.

On Dec. 4, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health aligned its quarantine guidance for individuals exposed to COVID-19 with the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The quarantine period for close contacts can end after Day 10 without testing if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring. CDC recommends that close contacts should continue to monitor for symptoms for the full 14-days after their last exposure.

Isolation & Quarantine Basics (Allegheny County Health Department)

According to the CDC, anyone who has been in close contact (see below) with someone who has COVID-19. This includes people who previously had COVID-19 and people who have taken a serologic (antibody) test and have antibodies to the virus. What counts as close contact?

• You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 15 consecutive minutes during their infectious period (with or without a mask)
• You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
• You had direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed them)
• You shared eating or drinking utensils
• They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 hours (or 2 days) before the person had any symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19. Available data indicate that persons with mild to moderate COVID-19 remain infectious up to 10 days after symptom onset.

• Students/staff who are deemed a close contact must quarantine for 10 days regardless of being tested. Siblings/family members of close contacts do not need to quarantine.  
• Students (over age 11)/staff who traveled out-of-state, if they did not provide a negative SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) PCR or rapid test
• The person in quarantine as well as all family members should be closely monitored for any potential symptoms. If symptoms arise, contact the school health office immediately and keep all siblings/family members home.
• CDC's information about when to quarantine. 

Contact tracing is used to identify close contacts who may have been exposed to  COVID-19.

In the school setting, initial contact tracing is often conducted by the School District in consultation with the Allegheny County Health Department. Both entities may notify individuals of the need to quarantine due to potential exposure. ACHD's information about contact tracing.

According to the CDC, anyone who has been in close contact (see below) with someone who has COVID-19. This includes people who previously had COVID-19 and people who have taken a serologic (antibody) test and have antibodies to the virus. What counts as close contact?

• You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 15 consecutive minutes during their infectious period (with or without a mask)
• You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
• You had direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed them)
• You shared eating or drinking utensils
• They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

On Dec. 4, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health aligned its quarantine guidance for individuals exposed to COVID-19 with the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The quarantine period for close contacts can end after Day 10 without testing if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring. CDC recommends that close contacts should continue to monitor for symptoms for the full 14-days after their last exposure.

Isolation & Quarantine Basics (Allegheny County Health Department)

According to the CDC:

• Quarantine keeps someone who was in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 away from others. 
• Isolation keeps someone who is sick or tested positive for COVID-19 without symptoms away from others, even in their own home. Click here to learn more from the CDC.

Isolation & Quarantine Basics (Allegheny County Health Department)

The most effective way to help stop the spread of the virus is to please stay home and/or keep your child home when symptomatic. As a reminder, before a student boards the school bus or is dropped off at school, the parent/caregiver at home must conduct a daily health check, which will evaluate the student for any symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19.

Using this brief set of questions, and after taking your child’s temperature, please assess your child’s health for readiness to attend school. If the answer to any of the screening questions is “yes”, please keep your child home from school and notify the health office. After notifying the health office, students are permitted to log on remotely, if they are well enough to participate.

Under the following conditions, your child or a staff member should stay home and you should contact the school nurse immediately:

• Student/staff member is symptomatic
• Student/staff member - or any member of his/her household - is awaiting test results
• Student/staff member has been identified as a close contact and is ordered to quarantine
• Student/staff member who traveled out-of-state, if he/she did not provide a negative SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) PCR test
• Student/staff member has tested positive for COVID-19
• If there is a situation and you are unsure as to whether your child should stay home, please contact your school nurse for guidance. Staff members should contact Diane Mariano (dmariano@uscsd.k12.pa.us) in Human Resources. 

If a student or staff member is excluded from reporting to a school building as a result of daily screening, exposure or positive case, the individual will be required to complete a “return to school/work” process before being permitted to return. This will be coordinated through the school health office for students and through the human resources department for staff.

For students or staff who test positive for COVID-19 or who had exposure through close contact, the Allegheny County Health Department (or Pennsylvania Department of Health for those living outside of Allegheny County) will dictate the length of isolation/quarantine.

Isolation & Quarantine Basics (Allegheny County Health Department)