The Butler Area School District modified the metrics-based guidance for teaching models recommended by the state and approved a plan to respond to COVID-19 cases among students and staff.

In addition, the school board authorized Superintendent Brian White to begin planning for possibly moving the ninth grade from the intermediate high school to the senior high school next year.

Last week, the Department of Education provided new guidance for reopening schools that recommends basing the model of instruction on the number of new cases and the percent of people with positive test results in each county.

The department said it will publish a list identifying the community transmission level, or the number of new cases, in each county from the most recent seven-day reporting period.

If fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents are reported, the county will automatically qualify as exhibiting a low level of community transmission, according to the state plan.

For a county to receive a low transmission level rating, there must be 10 or fewer new cases and a positivity rate of less than 5 percent.

In a low transmission level, the recommended teaching model is full in-person or blended. Blended learning is any model in which the number of students in a building is reduced to allow for social distancing of 6 feet.

A blended or full remote learning model is recommended in a moderate transmission level, which equates to 11 to 100 cases per 100,000 residents or a positivity rate of 5 percent to 10 percent.

A full remote learning model is recommended in a substantial transmission level in which a county has more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents or a positivity rate of 10 percent or more.

The district modified the plan to base the incidence rate on people who have ZIP codes in the district instead of using the state-recommended countywide incidence rate and changed the transmission level categories.

That modified plan changes the seven-day reporting period to 14 days and adds a new incidence rate.

In the low transmission level, the plan adds a new incidence rate of 0 to nine cases per 10,000 residents to the state-issued metrics.

The moderate transmission level is 10 to 40 cases per 100,000 residents or a positivity rate of 5 percent to 6.99 percent or 20 to 29 cases per 10,000 residents.

The plan also adds a “moderate plus” transmission level with 41 to 100 cases per 100,000 residents or a positivity rate of 7 percent to 10 percent or 30 to 49 cases per 10,000 residents. The modified plus level recommends blended or full remote teaching.

The response plan is also based on a 14-day reporting period and the state's low, moderate and substantial transmission levels.

If one student or staff member in a building contracts COVID-19 in the low and moderate transmission levels, schools remain open, areas where the person spent time will be cleaned and state public health staff will direct people who had close contact with the infected person to quarantine.

If two to four students or staff test positive in the low level, the school or schools will be closed for three to five days. School will close for five to seven days in the moderate level.

School will be closed for 14 days if five or more students or staff test positive in the low and moderate transmission levels.

Full remote learning is recommended if the county is in the substantial transmission level, regardless of the number of cases.

In addition, the board authorized White to work with the architectural firm IKM to begin planning to move ninth grade to the senior high school.

White said a school organization committee recommended the change and he believes planning should begin because state revenue could decline due to COVID-19 and that could result in less money for school subsidies. If subsidies are reduced, the district might have to consolidate, he said.

He said 12 new classrooms might be needed at the senior high to accommodate the ninth grade.