Both campuses of Ave Maria Academy go virtual due to COVID-relating staffing shortage

Ave Maria Academy in the South Hills will move temporarily to remote learning due to COVID cases and related staffing shortages.

Both the Bethel Park and Mount Lebanon campuses of the Catholic elementary school will be closed for in-person activities on Friday, January 14. They will reopen on Tuesday, January 18, following the Martin Luther King holiday.

All school-based athletic and extracurricular activities are postponed until January 18th as well.

School administrators sent messages to parents of all the students on Thursday, informing them of the necessity for temporary remote learning, and explaining what procedures to follow.

“We are in prayer for all of the individuals and families affected by this virus, which is causing severe staffing shortages. But the most important reason we are taking these steps is to protect our school community and slow the spread of COVID,” said Michelle Peduto, director of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.