Rumors have arisen that schools in the State College area could be moving to remote learning full time. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, cases have been steadily going up, which could lead to a statewide shutdown of schools.

Many schools are continuing to go back to in person learning. Now, not even a week into the school year, State College area schools are rumored to be closing down and preparing for remote learning. This could be due to Penn State students coming back for their school year.

State College superintendent Bob O’Donnell says, “As the overall numbers rise, we still must consider switching to district-wide remote learning for the health and safety of our entire community.”

State College High opened on August 25th, and since then, there have been 44 new cases in Centre County. It is possible that they will close sooner rather than later. As of Penn State, they are still going strong with in person learning. There have been 32 new cases since Friday. Pre-arrival testing in August brought back 148 positive cases. Penn State epidemiologist, Maciej Boni said, “It’s not good news that on campus for the very first week the numbers were that high,” No new information has been released as of now.

People in the area have assumed that if Penn State switches to remote learning, it is possible that districts in Centre County will follow suit. As of now, both Penn State and State College schools are remaining open. Meanwhile, schools in the Penns Valley area have not said anything about switching to remote learning.