Useful News: Check Chester County School District Incidence Rates, Mask Policies

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County school districts are mandating mask-wearing, all with the contingency that the requirement applies when certain COVID-19 metrics in the district are at Moderate transmission levels or above.

Right now, the whole County is above the Moderate level. The CDC reported Wednesday that the 7-day community transmission level for the coronavirus in Chester County is in the High range, with 546 positive tests over that week and a 5.82 percent positivity rate. There were 40 new hospital admissions for COVID-19 in the CDC's last 7-day reporting period from Aug. 19-25.

The CDC also reported 65.5 percent of Chester County's vaccine-eligible population is vaccinated against COVID-19.

But the activity of the virus varies even within a county, and likewise, school districts' COVID-19 metrics varied across the 2020-21 school year.

With most schools headed back into session this week or next, the CDC's report of High community transmission across Chester County means most district administrations and school boards in their August meetings made calls on masking. Most are requiring masks for everyone inside buildings and on busses, whether or not a person is vaccinated. Some are requiring masks on busses but not in buildings, with a close eye on the metrics and week-by-week masking calls to be made.

Along with varied masking requirements are accompanying policy statements about social distancing — efforts will be made to keep three feet apart, in most places, student symptoms will be monitored, as quartine and isolation plans are laid.

An Incidence Rate above 49 per 100,000 residents represents Moderate risk of COVID-19 transmission, and the 50-99 range is considered Substantial risk, in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance. Incidence rates above 99 per 100,000 residents are in the Very High risk range.

Patch assembled a list of school districts in Chester County, their masking policies as the school year begins, and the local Incidence rates as reported on Aug. 20 by the Chester County Health Department.

• Phoenixville Area SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 93.63 per 100,000 residents.
• Spring-Ford Area SD: Masks are required inside buildings through Sept. 24, with a review of metrics at that time. Incidence Rate is 90.72 per 100,000 residents.
• Tredyffrin-Easttown SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 69.95 per 100,000 residents.
• Great Valley SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 73.59 per 100,000 residents.
• Avon Grove SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 92.70 per 100,000 residents.
• Coatesville Area SD: Masks are required on school transportation and a final decision on indoor masking remains under discussion. Incidence Rate is 65.64 per 100,000 residents.
• Downingtown Area SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 80.12 per 100,000 residents.
• West Chester Area SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 83.43 per 100,000 residents.
• Kennett Consolidated SD: Masks are required inside buildings. Incidence Rate is 73.00 per 100,000 residents.
• Octorara Area SD: Masks are required on school transportation and in special situations indoors, such as when a student is ill and being sent home. The district said it reserves the right to require masks "if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 or is excessive numbers of students in quarantine or isolation interferes with the continuity of education in any school building." The OASD said it will watch metrics weekly. Incidence Rate is 57.31 per 100,000 residents.
• Owen J. Roberts SD: Masks are required on transportation, with weekly monitoring of metrics. Incidence Rate is 66.05 per 100,000 residents.
• Oxford Area SD: Masks are required on busses but optional inside school building as metrics are monitored week-by-week. Incidence Rate is 93.91 per 100,000 residents.
• Unionville-Chadds Ford SD: Masks are required on busses and indoors whenever the metrics indicate masks must be worn. Incidence Rate is 75.01 per 100,000 residents.

Chester County Public Health Director Jeanne Franklin told school districts in a recent letter, "Public health continues to base its guidance and recommendations on the latest scientific data. As the science and data change, guidance and recommendations may also change. Over the past several months, the science and data about new cases, variants, breakthrough infections, hospitalizations, vaccination rates, etc. have changed."

Franklin added, "The Chester County Health Department will continue to monitor the science, data, and COVID-19 activity in Chester County, and just as we do with all infectious disease outbreaks, will offer our soundest public health advice in supporting schools with the procedures and assistance needed to report, monitor and mitigate COVID-19."

PA Weekly COVID-19 Updates For Chesco

The Pennsylvania Department of Health Aug. 27 update of COVID-19 that shows 462 positive tests for coronavirus this week in Chester County, up by 9 from the week before. All metrics reported by the PA DOH were up in Chester County, but not as sharply as in recent weeks.

Incidence rate for Chester County overall went from 86.3 in the week ended Aug. 20 to 88.0 per 100,000 residents for the week ended Aug. 27. The test positivity rate went up from 5.4 to 5.8 percent in the week-to-week comparison.

CDC information on the Delta variant can be found here.

The Chester County Health Department provides information on scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine here.

Below is a chart issued by the West Chester Area School District showing the numbers that constitute each category of transmission level. The numbers in the chart are used in all County districts. Note that for a school district to be placed in any of the levels beyond Low, its numbers need only meet the standard for Incidence Rate OR Percent Positivity. When one category above Low is met by the district's metrics, masks are required by the CDC.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.