Mars Area School District administrators discussed the ongoing COVID-19 surge at a Tuesday meeting.

“Unfortunately, it's no big secret that COVID is back, and it's hitting rather hard,” Superintendent Mark Gross said. “We're continuing to monitor that situation.”

Gross said Wednesday that a federal programs committee, which includes parents, teachers, students, board members, community members and administrators, will discuss the spending of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and review whether any changes to the district's Health and Safety Plan are needed. The group was created this summer.

“(We're going to review all of the things we've been doing with the ESSER funds, trying to make education better for our students, garner support for that, and also get feedback,” Gross said. “The second part, we'll be talking and reviewing our current safety plan, seeing if there are any recommendations to make that even better.”

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