On the same day that all Quakertown Community School District schools opened to live, in-person instruction five days per week, one of those schools closed for five days after reports of multiple COVID-19 cases.

            Superintendent William Harner sent a letter to parents of students at Pfaff Elementary on Tuesday announcing the five-day closure beginning Wednesday, November 18. According to Harner, multiple cases were reported in a four-day period with possible linkages, prompting the building's closure per Pennsylvania Department of Education guidance.

            All Pfaff Elementary students will receive instruction virtually during the closure.

Harner explained that, due to privacy issues, more specific details could not be provided but that parents of any students who had close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 would be notified by school personnel.

             "Barring additional positive case reports or other information, live instruction will resume at Pfaff on Monday, November 23, 2020," Harner said in the letter.

            The building will undergo an additional deep-cleaning before Monday. All district schools are scheduled to close for Thanksgiving break from Thursday, November 26 through Monday, November 30.

            Students in grades 6 through 12 began live, in-person instruction for five days per week on Wednesday. Harner addressed parent concerns over in-person instruction at the secondary levels in his letter.

            "Some of you may be asking why has the high school remained open following multiple COVID-19 cases?  Those cases were all unrelated and not all within a 14-day period, and therefore included no community spread," Harner explained.

            All district students have the option to learn virtually.

            Quakertown Community School District reports weekly COVID-19 numbers on their district website. In addition, the Back to School 2020-21 page provides parents with multiple resources to navigate their children's education through the pandemic.