Palmerton Area School District is not a planning a change to its hybrid educational model, Superintendent Dr. Jodi Frankelli said Tuesday night.

“Even though we are on downward slide, we are still in the substantial transmission phase, according to the Department of Health guidelines,” Frankelli said in an update to the board and the community.

Carbon County remains in the highest COVID-19 transmission level categories for both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the exception of December, when all Palmerton students were virtual, the district has operated under the hybrid model, with the majority of students, elementary through high school, attending school in person two days per week.

For the week of Feb. 5-11, Carbon County had a 252.4 incidence rate per 100,000 residents and a 13.8% PCR positivity rate.

In order for a full five-day return to school for students, Frankelli said, the Department of Health recommends an incidence rate under 10 and a PCR positivity rate under 5%.

“For this latest week of data, Carbon County has the fifth highest incidence rate in the state and the second highest PCR positivity rate in the state,” Frankelli said.

Carbon is well above Pennsylvania’s average of a 153.3 incidence rate and an 8% PCR positivity rate.

Last week, the CDC came out with its own guidance to reopen schools and listed four risk areas, with Carbon being in the “high risk” category based on its current data.

Under the CDC guidance, elementary students are recommended to stick with a hybrid model even in high risk areas, however, middle and high school students are recommended to have a fully remote model unless they can strictly implement all mitigation strategies, and have few cases. Schools that are already open for in-person instruction can remain open, the CDC said, but only if they strictly implement mitigation strategies and have few cases.

The CDC recommends a full five-day return to school when the incidence rate is less than 50 and the PCR positivity rate is less than 8%.

“A lot of what the CDC came out with mirrors what the Department of Health has been telling us,” Frankelli said. “Looking at both sets of guidelines, I’m not asking the board to make any changes at this point.”

The CDC guidance says the most important mitigation efforts are making sure all students and staff wear masks and maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet. Other steps the CDC recommends are proper hand washing and respiratory etiquette, making sure buildings are adequately cleaned and sanitized, and using contact tracing and quarantines when cases arise.

Palmerton has reported four positive cases in February, two in the junior high school and one each in S.S. Palmer and the high school.