Tamaqua students and staff must follow guidelines to prevent coronavirus when they are outside of school in order to ensure that classes can continue full time in school, according to the district superintendent.

“We have to make a better effort, especially in this time when positive rates are increasing, we have to do a better job as parents, students, faculty and staff of following these protocols outside of school. If we want to keep this kind of model we have to work for it,” said Raymond Kinder, superintendent of Tamaqua Area School District.

The district currently has seven students who are considered “active cases” of COVID-19, and another 87 are quarantined due to close contact.

This week, another student in the high school tested positive for the virus, though no additional quarantines are required.

Recent single-day case totals from the county and state are higher than any other point during the pandemic, due in part to a large increase in testing.

On Monday, Schuylkill County had its highest single-day total of new reported cases, with 85. Tuesday’s statewide total of reported cases, 4,361 is the highest daily increase yet.

Amid those circumstances, Kinder told school board members Tuesday night that everyone who attends or works in the school must wear a mask and practice social distancing outside of school if they want to continue in-person classes.

“I know with relative certainty that for at least seven hours a day students in our building are wearing a mask - I don’t think that’s the norm when they’re outside of school,” Kinder said.

Tamaqua has all students attending school five days a week. There are several scenarios where the district would consider changing to a different educational model - either full online or a hybrid.

Kinder said a large number of positive tests in school, a teacher shortage or a general increase in cases among school-aged children statewide would possibly require them to change from full in-person classes.

There is also the possibility that the state will make the decision for all districts and move education completely online, like it did for three months in the spring.

While Tamaqua Area School District has had 14 students test positive since classes resumed, most have been isolated cases.

Kinder said he is personally not aware of any cases where it was determined that a person contracted the virus from another person in school.

“The vast majority of these cases there has been a very logical source for how the individual got it, and that is not in the confines of the school,” he said.

Kinder credited staff for diligently implementing the district’s health and safety plan, and administrators for acting decisively to quarantine anyone who has been in contact with someone who tested positive.

Students are quarantined 14 days if they meet the state’s definition of a “close contact” with someone who tests positive for the virus.

The district determines close contacts by using assigned seating charts in classrooms, on buses and at lunch. That information is shared with the Department of Health, whose contractors reach out to affected people to conduct contact tracing.

When there is a positive test, the district also notifies parents through a recorded phone message and posts a letter on its website.

School board members said large numbers of quarantined students can be concerning, but they shouldn’t be confused with the number of positive tests.

“You see it on social media, these big numbers, but it’s out of an abundance of caution, it’s not that they’re sick, it’s just we want to protect as many people as we can,” board member Trina Shellhammer said.