CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Students in some Lackawanna County schools are heading back home this week to learn online.
The county is considered by the Department of Health to have "substantial" community transmission, prompting state officials to recommend schools move to fully virtual learning.
The state also made that recommendation last week, but said school districts could wait to see if the county remained in the "substantial" category for two consecutive weeks.
But it's only a recommendation, not a requirement, and the state says it's a local decision.
Abington Heights School District is taking a closer look at the numbers in its community before making a decision at a public meeting this Thursday.
"One of the things we think about is that if there's no transmission in our buildings, as of now, and our students are then forced to go into a daycare or other environments, that's not to say that they're going into a safer environment that promotes public health," said Abington Heights Superintendent Michael Mahon.
In a letter to parents, Riverside School District cites its low local case numbers, in the boroughs of Moosic and Taylor, as the reason it will continue with the hybrid model.
Meanwhile, some school districts have decided to temporarily move to all online learning, including Lakeland School District, which only just moved to a hybrid model two weeks ago.
Lakeland School District has not had any coronavirus cases in its schools so far, and the communities included in the district also have relatively low case numbers.
Acting Superintendent Joseph Caputo says he wants to keep it that way.
"We've only been hybrid for 2 weeks, so I would expect it to be low. I think it's more of a proactive approach rather than reactive. We know, talking to the Department of Health, talking to the Department of Education, that this disease can transmit quickly," said Caputo.
Old Forge School District will move to fully virtual learning on Wednesday, and then decide what to do moving forward in a public meeting that same night. Superintendent Dr. Erin Keating says gathering input from parents is crucial.
"The major things that I've heard about and it's a lot from our elementary, our K-6, the concern of being successful in a virtually environment and I've heard from a number of concerned citizens who'd like to see our athletic programs remain in effect," said Superintendent Dr. Erin Keating.
The North Pocono School District is holding a meeting to discuss its plans.