Mars Area Elementary School will be closed through Tuesday, March 30. 

As of Friday, March 26, Mars Area School District was informed that two (2) Mars Area Elementary School students are quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19. This case brings the total number of active positive cases at the Elementary School to four (4).

In accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, which establish the minimum number of active COVID cases that require a building to close based upon the school’s enrollment, Mars Area School District is required to close Mars Area Elementary School for a minimum of three (3) days, while the building undergoes a deep cleaning.

Note: As Mars Area Elementary School is considered a “medium school” (500-900 students), it is required that the school close for a minimum of three (3) days when 4-6 positive cases are reported or for a minimum of 14 days with 7 or more positive cases, while the building undergoes a deep cleaning. School closures are based upon a “rolling 14-day period,” which, as defined by PDE, begins with the date of the first positive case in each building.

In addition to the closure, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is in the process of conducting contact tracing and will be notifying any individual who may have been in close contact (within six feet for at least 15 minutes) with the students who tested positive for COVID-19. Any such individuals will be required to quarantine at home for a minimum of 14 days. Any students, who are determined to have been a close contact, will also receive a separate communication from the school, noting the specific dates during which they must quarantine as well as the date that they may return to Traditional Instruction.

To prepare for this building closure, we also ask that you please note the following:

Switch to LSI Instruction — During the building closure, all Mars Area Elementary School students, who have been attending school for Traditional Instruction, will need to switch to Live-Stream Interactive (LSI) Instruction through which teachers will facilitate instruction from home on a period-by-period basis. Note: Building administrators, paraprofessionals and support staff members will be temporarily relocated to other schools, while custodial crews clean the building. 

Technology — Students, who do not have access to a personal technology device, may be provided with a District-issue device, free of charge, during the closure period only. Those devices must be returned to the school immediately upon the students’ return to the traditional setting. Please be advised that any damages to the device are subject to repair or replacement costs being incurred by the parent/guardian. To obtain a device, contact the Mars Help Desk at [email protected].

Food Services — During the building closure, the District will continue to offer free meals for students and anyone in a student's household who is under age 18. To arrange for meal pick-up, contact Bridget Buyna, Food Service Director, at (724) 625-1988 or [email protected].

Mars Area Elementary School students may return to participate in Traditional Instruction on Wednesday, March 31, pending the District’s review of the school’s COVID numbers at that time. (Note: Once a school has undergone a deep cleaning, the total number of active positive cases at that school revert to zero (0), beginning with the first day that students and staff return.) 

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.