Philly elementary school closed due to increase in COVID-19 cases

Mayfair Elementary School had to close due to multiple COVID cases. The announcement of the temporary closing was made by officials in a letter to parents on Wednesday.

According to 6abc, the school affected by the cases was one of the 53 schools that reopened to some Pre-K through 2nd graders last Monday. However, less than 10 days had to interrupt its in-person learning activities.

“If your child shared a classroom with any student or staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be contacted directly by the PDPH with important information, including the need for your child to quarantine,” officials informed.

The elementary school will remain closed through April 1. Meanwhile, the students will adopt remote learning “All students should participate in digital learning remotely while our school building is temporarily closed,” the letter read.

Officials stated that the elementary school building will be deep cleaned and disinfected before it is reopened for students and staff.

You can read: School District of Philadelphia will have additional instruction options

“We look forward to reopening our school doors for students on Monday April 5th, 2021,” the letter read.

The PFT reacts

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) union released a statement after calling on the district to address its notification and tracing protocol. “Our agreement to allow a return to school buildings is based on adherence to a stringent set of protocol. We have been, and continue to, hold the District accountable to adhering to these critical health and safety protocol.”

The PFT underlined the need to follow all the protection measures and adherence to the use of protective masks. “There is no room for error when mitigating COVID. Testing, notification, and tracing, along with the ongoing vaccination efforts, are key elements of a multilayered mitigation strategy. Additionally, the District must double down on its efforts to ensure mask compliance. We have been to far too many locations where mask compliance is very problematic.”