Back to School Update 12/1/2020

 

Dear Douglas Community,

I want to start off by saying thank you for your continued support and patience during this entire process. It is honestly appreciated by everyone associated with the Douglas Public Schools.

Over the last few days I have received several emails from the community. Many thanking us for being cautious when it comes to the health and safety of students and staff and many asking us to keep our schools open. The goal, as it always has been, is to keep schools open for students; it is what they deserve and what is best for them. The School Committee, the Leadership Team, Teachers, Faculty, and Staff all want our kids safely in school. 

Several people have asked for information regarding why we closed or questioning the decision to close. I offer you the following; every situation is different and merits close and thoughtful discussion and analysis. I shared as much information with you as possible without violating the rights of individuals to privacy. Whether we like it or not, it is the law and their right. I try to maintain the fine line of confidentiality and sharing enough information with people. 

I have shared the following with some people that have emailed me over the last few days, and I find it important to share it with everyone. The decision to close is not one that is done without a lot of thought and planning. I meet with the leadership team, school nurses, the Board of Health, members of the School Committee, and other shareholders to gather as much information as possible to make an informed decision. I am fully aware of the impact that closing schools for a period of time has on students and families. This places a significant burden on families with young children. It requires families to have to take time off from work or arrange for care for children. It requires families to have to balance their work and life schedules while helping students with their daily lessons. It creates gaps in education for students. It makes it difficult for Special Education students to receive their services. It creates inconsistencies for students in fluctuating between models. Schools for many students are a safe haven and being remote removes that. I worry about the social emotional well being of students when they are home and not in school. From a financial standpoint, a portion of our pre-school staff salaries are funded through tuition and this month we are not charging families for 2 days. Our cafeteria workers are fully funded through students buying lunches and our reimbursable meals. Not having students in school requires us to find other funding sources to cover their salaries. The list can go on, but I wanted to highlight that I try to balance all of this with the health and safety information I have before closing schools. Again, it is not something that is done arbitrarily.

On November 17, I sent out a letter stating that I would reach back out to the community on Saturday the 28th with information. In my letter on the 28th I stated we will return to live instruction on Thursday, December 3, but if we see a spike in cases and/or information changes I may have to extend the closure of schools beyond December 3. Over the last few days here is some of the information we have looked at:

1. Currently Douglas has 25 active cases which is consistent with where we have been the last few weeks

2. The Public Schools are tracking the following:

1. DPS (0 Confirmed cases, 5 people in quarantine, 3 potential cases)

2. DES (1 confirmed case, 1 person in quarantine, 1 potential case)

3. DMS (2 confirmed case, 5 people in quarantine, 4 potential cases)

4. DHS (1 confirmed case, 9 people in quarantine, 0 potential cases)

3. One of the issues we were dealing with over the weekend was the lack of information being provided to the Board of Health. The BOH contacts every COVID positive case in town to check in on them and to establish contact tracing. This weekend there were over 5 families that would not return the BOH’s calls and one family who blocked their number totally. We could not immediately determine if any of these cases were associated with the schools. Fortunately, we were later able to discover that these cases were not associated with the schools. 

Based on the information I have at this time, the data supports schools to reopen on Thursday December 3, but we need your help with the following to stay open:

1. Avoid large social gatherings

2. Wear a mask

3. Practice social distancing

4. Wash your hands frequently

5. Follow the guidance set forth by the Governor

6. If the Board of Health calls, please answer and provide them with the information they need

7. If you are sick, stay home

8. If you live with someone that is symptomatic, stay home until they test negative

I am concerned about what the next few weeks will bring. Experts have all talked about a spike after Thanksgiving. If we follow these safety guidelines, especially numbers 7 and 8, we should be able to mitigate the risk of exposure in our schools. I know this is a lot, but if we each do our part we can and will stay open. Our two school closings to date could very well have been avoided if these safety guidelines were followed. Your help and adherence to these guidelines will be instrumental in helping us stay open and safe. 

The last thing I want is to flip between models. I have stated all along that we will follow the data and right now it is telling us that we can be open. Should that change in a day or week, we will adjust and plan accordingly; even if that means going to a remote platform. Please follow the 8 safety guidelines that are outlined. They are necessary to stay open.

Thank you and I am excited to welcome students back.

Paul