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Bethlehem News

BASD superintendent on Miller Heights school closure: Can't know if COVID is spreading in school as it’s ‘so prevalent’ in the community

school-buses
J. Scott Applewhite
/
Associated Press
FILE - In this July 24, 2020 file photo, Fairfax County Public School buses are lined up at a maintenance facility in Lorton, Va. The Justice Department is highlighting a number of actions school officials should take to increase safety, including improving mental health resources, monitoring social media accounts and improving physical safety measures. The report was released Tuesday and was a culmination of a federal school safety working group. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Bethlehem Area School District’s Miller Heights Elementary is operating remotely after a dozen COVID-19 cases affected students in five of its classrooms.

In a letter sent to Miller Heights families, Superintendent Joseph Roy urged parents to carefully consider permitting their children to participate in out-of-school activities while they’re subject to remote instruction. 

“Since the goal of moving to remote learning is to keep kids separate from each other, we want to be wary of bringing them together outside of school,” said Roy in an emailed statement to WLVR News. 

Roy also said that it’s difficult to identify whether the virus was spreading within Miller Heights as COVID-19 is “so prevalent” in the community. But after seeing multiple cases in different classrooms, Roy said the district decided to “break any transmission chain” by closing the school.