Latest News & Information

COVID-19 Updates From Our Superintendent of Schools

As cases of COVID-19 have increased in our region and in our local school community over the past couple of weeks, we will continue to provide weekly updates with regards to our current case rates and mitigation.

December 3, 2021 - COVID Update Letter

Smethport Area School District will continue to provide weekly updates with regards to our current case rates and mitigation efforts with regards to COVID-19

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Test - December 3, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one student at Smethport Area Elementary School and one student at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School have been determined to be positive for COVID-19 per the PA Department of Health (DOH).

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Tests - December 2, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one student at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School has been determined to be positive for COVID-19, per the PA Department of Health (DOH).

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Test - November 23, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one student at Smethport Area Elementary School has been determined to be positive for COVID-19 per the PA Department of Health (DOH).

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Test - November 22, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one staff member at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School has been determined to be positive for COVID-19, per the PA Department of Health (DOH).

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Tests - November 19, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that two students at Smethport Elementary School and one staff member at Smethport Junior-Senior High School have been determined to be positive for COVID-19 per the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).

Mask Update

On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court issued a ruling voiding the Department of Health issued order mandating the use of masks/facial coverings for students and staff in all K–12 public and private schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Tests - November 9, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one student at Smethport Elementary School and one student at Smethport Junior-Senior High School have been determined to be positive for COVID-19 per the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).

Notice Of Positive COVID-19 Tests - November 8, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that one student and one staff member at Smethport Area Elementary School has been determined to be positive for COVID-19, per the PA Department of Health (DOH).

Notice of Positive COVID-19 Tests - November 3, 2021

Smethport Area School District (SASD) has been notified that three students at Smethport Elementary School and three students at Smethport Junior-Senior High School have been determined to be positive for COVID-19 per the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).

Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program

The opportunity scholarship tax credit program is available to Smethport students for the 2021–2022 school year.

Welcome to Our District

Welcome to Smethport Area School District! Located in the beautiful Pennsylvania Wilds, we are a full-service, public school district in McKean County. Together, the two schools that comprise our district provide a safe, empowering learning environment for preschool through twelfth-grade students.

Thank you for visiting. We are happy to provide you with information about our district, our schools, and the excellent programs and services we offer students. Go, Hubbers!

Message from Our Superintendent

August 25, 2021
Dear Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Students,

Cases of COVID-19 have trended upwards in many parts of the state and our country. We continue to monitor trends within McKean County and our local zip codes within the Smethport Area School District. Once school starts on Wednesday, August 25, we will once again provide our school community with notice of any confirmed positive cases among our students and staff. These notices will be posted on our website.
Please take a few minutes and review the SASD health and safety plan posted on our site. Contact tracing for close contacts of a positive case of COVID-19 remains for unvaccinated students and staff. In the specific cases of a PA Department of Health (DOH) quarantine due to close contact of a positive case of COVID-19, teachers will provide access to direct instruction via our "Livestream" capabilities. Masks are required on school transportation until the federal mandate regarding all public transportation is lifted. Masks/facial coverings are optional for students and staff while in school.
Health and safety guidance documents from both DOH and CDC continue to change. We are committed to maintaining direct, in-person instruction for our students and families. Changes released late last week by the state require the District to report any positive cases to DOH, as well as close contacts of a positive case while in school. The state also set forth outbreak containment guidance for schools that place requirements on the district to consult with DOH if a definition of an outbreak occurs in one of our schools.
DOH defines an outbreak as:
5% of the student population is positive for COVID-19 or 25 or more positive cases occur in a school building. An outbreak is also defined as three simultaneous classroom and/or core group outbreaks (transmission between two or more students or students/staff without other identified epidemiological links in three or more classrooms and/or core groups (for example, teams & band). If either of these criteria is met within a given 14-day period, Smethport Area School District must contact DOH for guidance. Suspension of sports/extra-curricular is recommended when DOH recommends closure of in-person learning.
The SASD health and safety plan provides for the possibility of additional mitigation measures to be implemented based on levels of substantial/high community spread of COVID-19 in McKean County or established school-based spread of COVID-19. If any such additional mitigation layer(s) would at any time be implemented this school year, the necessity of the additional mitigation would be reviewed weekly.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We wish everyone the best as we begin another school year.

All the best,

Brice N. Benson

Brice N. Benson
Superintendent