Jim Thorpe School District canceling trips

Jim Thorpe Area School District is canceling all school trips and conferences until further notice due to fears over the coronavirus.

But the district does not have any plans to close due to the virus at this time.

“This coronavirus is a game changer. Things are happening that have never happened before,” said Superintendent John Rushefski.

While there are currently no suspected cases in Carbon County, district officials announced preventive measures at a school board meeting Wednesday night.

While spring sports will continue practicing and competing outdoors, the district is canceling all competitions and events held by outside groups inside school buildings. They also plan to restrict parents from attending events inside the school until further notice.

The moratorium on school trips and events is indefinite. Rushefski said it could last anywhere from a week to months, depending on how the situation evolves.

“We’re trying to limit exposure to outside people coming in the building,” he said.

School board members said the district will refund families for any events they paid for if they are canceled without a refund — including a planned chorus trip to New York City, and the FBLA state conference.

Board member Paul Montemuro said that the board wants to do what is best for the students, without causing financial hardship to families who saved to pay for school trips.

“We’re not here to penalize the kids. We’re here in their best interest,” Montemuro said.

The district has no plans to close due to the virus at this time. Rushefski said if they decide to close, they would likely have to make up the days at the end of the year, like snow days.

The district distributes laptops or iPads to every student. They are currently testing ways to hold classes online, but Rushefski said it’s unlikely that the school will move completely online if schools closed because of the virus.

Parents in attendance asked about how it would affect different groups of children and clubs.

Julie Renode, president of the band booster club, said the district is scheduled to host the county band competition next week. Rushefski said she should expect a decision on the event soon.

Christine Baldwin said her children have existing medical issues and a doctor advised holding them out of school until the risk of the virus has decreased.

Rushefski said that the district is also willing to work with families who are considering holding their students out of classes because they have underlying medical issues, or a family member who could be put at increased risk due to the virus.

“The advice I give parents is you have to look at the health situation, discuss this with physicians,” he said. “We’ll certainly work with that and the absences during this time.”