Wilkes-Barre Area School District tentatively plans to resume in-person instruction March 1, Superintendent Brian Costello announced Thursday.
The district will remain in the fully remote learning mode in February because Luzerne County continues to have substantial COVID-19 transmission, Costello said, noting recommendations from the state health and education departments.
The state recommends all-virtual learning or a blended model with in-person learning only for elementary school students for schools in counties with substantial transmission. The state guidance is not a mandate.
A county has substantial transmission when the test positivity rate is at least 10% or the COVID-19 incidence rate is at least 100 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days. Test positivity in Luzerne County was 11.9% from Jan. 15-21, and the county incidence rate was 295.5.