An elementary school in the Northern Lehigh School District will be shut down through the middle of next week after four employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Slatington Elementary School will follow the fully remote instructional model through at least Dec. 16, according to a message posted on the district’s website.

Contacted Wednesday evening, Superintendent Matthew J. Link confirmed that all four people who tested positive were employees at the building.

Link said the district was notified of the first case Tuesday evening, and learned of the other three cases throughout Wednesday morning.

He said letters were sent to families Wednesday afternoon.

“A letter was sent once we spent a good part of the day consulting with the Department of Health, getting guidance with them,” Link said. “We’re hoping for a full and quick recovery to all the people that have tested positive.”

Link also said the district was notified Wednesday of one positive COVID case of an employee at the district’s central office building.

Grab-n-Go Bags

Link said the district’s food service department will offer families the availability to pick up meals for students on Friday.

The Grab-n-Go bags will consist of three breakfasts and three lunches, and will cover Friday, Monday and Tuesday meals.

They can be picked up at the bus loop at Slatington Elementary from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

To order the Grab-n-Go meals, contact Donna Marks at 610-767-9800, ext. 1154, or email at dmarks@nlsd.org.

The district would like for families to place their orders by 5 p.m. Thursday so it knows how many Grab-n-Go meals to prepare for pickup.

This is only available for Slatington Elementary students for this one-time pick up.

Other buildings to remain in hybrid model

The other buildings in the district will remain in the hybrid model.

Word of the positive COVID cases comes one week after the district said it remained committed to its hybrid learning model.

Last week, the school board unanimously granted approval of the updates to the district’s health and safety plan.

Link told the board at that time that he and board President Gary Fedorcha signed the statement on Nov. 25 that attests that the district is going to do things that are in its health and safety plan.

He said it’s been posted to the district’s website as required; it’s also been embedded into the district’s health and safety plan directly; and it’s also referenced throughout the FAQ section as related to the Northern Lehigh School District health and safety plan.

Link said it’s the order that came out from the Department of Health, Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, and supported by Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega.

He said at that time the district remained hopeful it could keep going as long as it could in the hybrid model.

Link said last month the plan is for Northern Lehigh’s buildings to stay open for the foreseeable future, even as several neighboring school districts had closed due to a surge in positive COVID-19 cases.