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Senior members of the student council chat with Noe Ortega, the state’s secretary of education, at Mt. Lebanon High School on Monday, Aug. on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Earlier, Ortega discussed health safety measures during a press conference at the school. Monday was the first day of class at Mt. Lebanon. Students are, from left, Sam Bailey, Mckenzie Hughes, Sydney Saba and Madeline Thompson.
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State officials visiting Mt. Lebanon High encourage mask use, COVID testing and vaccinations

Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette

State officials visiting Mt. Lebanon High encourage mask use, COVID testing and vaccinations

Marking the first day of in-person schooling at a high school in Allegheny County that’s mandating its students wear masks, two top state officials said Monday they continue to urge masking in schools but are ultimately leaving it up to local districts to make the final decision.

As far as instituting a universal mask mandate for schools in Pennsylvania as cases of COVID-19 rise among children, Department of Education Secretary Noe Ortega said the lesson they’ve learned from the past 16 months is that “circumstances were very different across the entire commonwealth when it came to making decisions about mitigation efforts.” He said the state continues to strongly recommend that schools follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations — including that masks are mandated for all students and educators regardless of their vaccination status.

“With the planning for the pandemic, since the start of this, if you go back 16 months and going into this year, we’ve always encouraged our school leaders to think about what resurgence planning looks like,” Mr. Ortega said, adding that federal stimulus funds are available to help schools with their mitigation efforts.

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Department of Health Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said there isn’t a single point right now that would trigger a universal mask mandate — an indication that nothing’s on the horizon from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration — but, like Mr. Wolf, said: “We are strongly encouraging that every school district in every area follow the CDC guidance.”

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The two officials, appearing at a press conference from Mt. Lebanon High School, visited the district to tout the administration’s recent unveiling of a plan for COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics at schools. They didn’t mention masking until they were asked by reporters afterward.

This comes as cases of COVID-19 among children have risen significantly in the past few weeks in the county, prompting some pediatricians to call for mandatory masking in schools — all while continuing to say they see no indication yet that the delta variant is creating more severe illness in children.

Without a state mandate, school districts have held their own internal debates on mitigation policy as the new school year begins. Earlier this month, Mt. Lebanon opted to implement a universal masking requirement indoors.

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Superintendent Tim Steinhauer said their goal is to maximize in-person learning while minimizing the disruption of COVID-19’s spread, insisting that they continue to monitor local conditions. The district also has implemented physical distancing guidelines, better ventilation and adjustments to large gatherings — like lunch periods — in addition to encouraging vaccines for eligible students, he said.

“As we look at our local conditions and as they evolve over time, if that does lessen and we are able to start cutting back on that, we certainly will do that.” Mr. Steinhauer said.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, present at the press conference, applauded the district for mandating masks and encouraged everyone 12 and older to get vaccinated.

“For those who can’t, under the age of 12, I think the mask mandate is certainly the way to keep everybody safe,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We know these things work.”

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Mr. Fitzgerald said the county is encouraging districts to follow CDC recommendations. He also noted that because so many in Allegheny County and Pennsylvania have been vaccinated, they’re not seeing the same numbers of hospitalizations and deaths as states like Florida, Texas and Alabama.

About 28% of children ages 10-14 have been vaccinated in Allegheny County, the sixth-highest rate among counties in the state. Pennsylvania’s data groups ages 10-14, even though those under 12, can’t yet be vaccinated.

The clinical director of infectious diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh told the Post-Gazette recently that the children being hospitalized there is a mix of those 11 and under who are not eligible for the vaccine, and those older than 12 who haven’t been vaccinated. Few are breakthrough cases among vaccinated kids, he said.

Dr. Johnson urged school districts to take advantage of the tools the state has made available to mitigate the spread of the virus, including free COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. Mt. Lebanon already has expressed interest in joining the testing program, she said, and has held a vaccine clinic.

“Vaccine clinics in schools are vital as we continue to fight the pandemic and staff and teachers return to buildings,” Mr. Ortega said.

Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com; Twitter: @julianrouth

First Published: August 23, 2021, 8:34 p.m.

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Senior members of the student council chat with Noe Ortega, the state’s secretary of education, at Mt. Lebanon High School on Monday, Aug. on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Earlier, Ortega discussed health safety measures during a press conference at the school. Monday was the first day of class at Mt. Lebanon. Students are, from left, Sam Bailey, Mckenzie Hughes, Sydney Saba and Madeline Thompson.  (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Noe Ortega, the state’s secretary of education, chats with students, including Madeline Thompson, left, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School, Monday, Aug. on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Thompson is a senior member of the student council. Earlier, Ortega discussed health safety measures during a press conference at the school. Monday was the first day of class at Mt. Lebanon.  (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Pennsylvania’s Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson left, chats with students on the first day of classes at Mt. Lebanon High School on Monday, Aug. on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Students include Sydney Saba, center, and Madeline Thompson, right, both senior members of the student council. Before visiting students, Dr. Johnson joined Noe Ortega, secretary of the state’s department of education, and local officials in a press conference to discuss health safety initiatives.  (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette
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