Superintendent's Newsletter August 19, 2020

Dear Douglas Community,

The purpose of this statement is to address what were false statements, gross inaccuracies, and a misrepresentation of the facts at the August 18, 2020 Douglas Board of Selectmen’s Meeting regarding the school’s ability to open on September 16, 2020.

The first false statement made was that the school department was negligent in our procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In mid July the Town Administrator had informed us that there were grant funds available that could fund PPE and he agreed to partner with the schools to purchase the required PPE for the schools. We were grateful for this opportunity as it allowed us to use the funds that we had allocated for PPE for students for other important purchases, such as technology for remote learning. On July 24, 2020 the schools sent our list of PPE materials to the Town Administrator. This list included the numbers of equipment we needed for 12 weeks of school based on calculations from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) along with the specs for each piece of equipment. The equipment is taking at most 1 to 2 weeks to be delivered. The July 24, 2020 date provided plenty of time for the materials to be delivered.

The second false statement that was made regarding PPE was that the district was slow in getting the Town the information they asked for. This is simple, when we were asked for additional information, we provided it. The purchasing process is complicated but also simple. DESE along with Operational Services Division (OSD)  provided schools with a list of approved vendors to use. Through a process that was set up by DESE/OSD, the schools could order materials through these approved vendors. DESE/OSD provided an informational meeting statewide for all school districts regarding this K-12 School PPE Initiative. The PPE materials, specs, and numbers have been available since July 24, 2020 and ready to order. I am happy that they were finally ordered the week of August 10, 2020 and will be here in time for school to start.

The third false statement that was made regarding PPE was that the school was looking to overspend money on PPE and we were not being dutiful in our procurement procedures. A statement was made that the school rejected using Amazon as a vendor, even though they could provide the materials at a cheaper price. Amazon is not on the approved list for schools to purchase PPE supplies from. DESE, along with OSD and the Attorney General’s Office, held a workshop and made it clear to schools to only order from vendors from the approved list as there have been a number of scams and the Attorney General’s Office is investigating those scams. This information was provided to the municipal department. Again, Amazon is not on that list. To purchase from them, regardless of how much money was saved, would go against the recommendations from DESE and the OSD, would be reckless, and negligent. Simply put, for safety reasons, we can not order from them.

The final false statement that I will address is that from an operational standpoint we are not ready to open. This next portion of this statement addresses the claim that was made about traffic flow patterns in schools. Below is a timeline of the communication back and forth between the school and the municipal department about our concerns with traffic flow patterns inside of the school. It will be clear that we are ready to open and have been, along with the Fire Chief, VERY responsible and mindful in our duties and obligations. 

July 7, 2020: I attended the BOS meeting and made a presentation about our return to school plans. At that meeting the Fire Chief stated that if the schools were changing traffic flow patterns he should be informed. 

July 8, 2020: Josh Romano, High School Principal, reached out to the Fire Chief to set up a meeting to look at our traffic flow patterns. A response to his text was received within 6 hours confirming that this would be a good plan. 

July 8, 2020: Jon Bell, Elementary School Principal, reached out to the Fire Chief to set up a meeting to look at our traffic flow patterns. The Fire Chief also responded immediately to this email and a meeting was set up.

July 9, 2020: An email was sent out to have a safety committee meeting. One topic on this agenda was to address the traffic flow patterns in the schools as a result of COVID-19. This meeting was posted on the Town’s webpage as it was a public meeting.

July 15, 2020: The Fire Chief and Jon Bell toured the Elementary School and looked at the proposed traffic flow of the school. The plan was approved. 

July 23, 2020: The safety committee met on this date. One of the topics discussed was the need to have representatives from municipal departments assist the schools in developing a safe traffic flow pattern inside and outside of the schools. Representatives from the school and municipal departments were present at the meeting.

Week of August 10: Brian Delaney, Middle School Principal, reached out to the Fire Chief to set up a walk through of the school to look at traffic flow patterns. 

August 12, 2020: The State Fire Marshal issued an advisory about Interior Reconfigurations of buildings:

Interior Reconfiguration:

When changes are made within the building such as reconfiguration of classrooms, hallways, or the use of rooms for new purposes, it is critical to ensure that these changes maintain the level of fire and life safety required by the building and fire codes. Reconfiguration of space, addition of barriers, and changes to egress, may require a building permit per 780 CMR 105.1. 

1. Non-porous barriers shall not be installed within 18” of the bottom of automatic sprinkler heads. [2013 NFPA 13: 8.5.5.3] 

2. Non-porous membrane barriers shall be flame resistant in accordance with NFPA 701. [527 CMR 1.00: 12.6.2] 

3. Doors required for fire separation may not held open in such a manner that they will not close automatically and latch upon activation of the building fire alarm system. [780 CMR Chapter 7 and 527 CMR 1.00: 12.3.3] 

4. Temporary signage establishing one-way circulation patterns to maintain social distancing must indicate that emergency exiting is allowed in the direction of required egress. 

5. Means of egress and egress pathways within rooms must comply with the provisions of 780 CMR Chapter 10. 

6. The repurposing of rooms into additional classrooms space must be evaluated for compliance with fire sprinkler and fire alarm requirements as required by 780 CMR Chapter 9

 

The Schools and the Fire Chief were one month ahead of this advisory ensuring that students and schools were safe to open.

August 18, 2020: The Fire Chief and Building Inspector came to the Middle School and provided us with recommendations that surpassed the expectations from DESE and the State Fire Marshall. The school will gladly comply with all requests to ensure a safe opening. 

Note: The Primary School did not reach out to the Fire Chief as they were not changing any of their traffic flow patterns. 

To imply or suggest that the schools are not doing everything in our power to safely open is insulting and a gross misrepresentation of the facts. I can say with extreme confidence that we will be ready to safely open from an operational and educational standpoint. 

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul D. Vieira, Ed.D

Superintendent of Schools