HAMBURG, N.Y. — Students at Frontier High School will learn remotely for the next two weeks because of several confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district.

A total of five teachers have tested positive, four at the high school, and one at the middle school. The district says the teacher at the middle school did not have direct contact with students.

In addition, New York’s COVID-19 report card for schools shows five students in the district tested positive in the last week; one at Big Tree Elementary, another at Cloverbank Elementary, two at the middle school, and one at the high school.

The Frontier district says virtual learning will continue at the high school until at least November 13.

BOCES students will still report for their off-campus programs.

The Erie County Health Department is doing contact tracing, and all students, parents and staff should follow daily self-screening protocols.

In a statement, Amber Chandler, president of the Frontier Teacher’s Association, said they are concerned for the students education, as well as the health and safety of everyone in the district. 

"The FCTA is concerned about the education of our students and the health and safety of everyone in the district. A plan should have been in place to pivot from in-person to remote instruction, but just as we’ve dealt with since the chaotic opening of school, we were left scrambling yesterday. School districts everywhere have contingency plans and the fact that families were searching social media for hints about their child’s education is not acceptable to us as educators. 

The families of our district are already experiencing the uncertainty that this pandemic has brought and the teachers wish to support our students and families. We will continue to try to find ways to bring calm and caring to our community. Communication must be better to prevent this type of frustration and to have a continuity of education for our students."