Superintendent's Weekly Update 5/21/21

 


Hello,

It has been a busy but a very productive week here in Douglas. Many of us were pleased with the news from the Governor, DESE, and the MIAA regarding masks. There are a lot of COVID updates in this newsletter and I thank you ahead of time for reading all of it.

New Mask Guidance

Effective, Wednesday May 18, the following guidelines are in place:


  • Students no longer have to wear masks when outdoors, even if distance cannot be maintained
  • Effective May 18th, this guidance update applies to recess, physical education, youth sports, and outdoor learning environments 
  • The following applies to student athletes:
  • Athletes on spring teams in active play outdoors are not required to wear a mask/facial covering.
  • Athletes when they are on the bench or in a dugout are not required to wear a mask/facial covering.
  • Spectators and chaperones, coaches, staff, referees, umpires and other officials who can social distance while outdoors, are not required to wear a mask/face covering.
  • Visitors, spectators, volunteers, and staff while indoors are required to wear masks/facial covering.
  • All athletes participating in high school sports are considered youth and fall under youth guidelines.
  • Adults must continue to wear masks outdoors if distancing cannot be maintained
  • Adults and students must continue to wear masks indoors 
  • Students must wear their masks while heading out to recess or for any outdoor activity
  • Close contacts who are exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual while outdoors at recess will not have to quarantine
  • In alignment with state guidance, the gathering limits for school events with outside participants will be lifted starting May 29, 2021. The other health and safety measures, such as masking, distancing, and other protocols, outlined in DESE’s Supplemental Guidance for Student Groups and School Events for School Year 2020-2021 will still apply.
  • Schools should continue to maximize ventilation and air exchanges in schools and classrooms, even in warmer weather. Schools should target 4-6 air exchanges per hour through any combination of ventilation and filtration by keeping doors open, using portable air purifiers, and/or keeping windows cracked open one or two inches.
  • For schools with centralized systems or in-room unit ventilators, they should continue to have those units bring in as much fresh air as possible into the classrooms and increase the level of filtration in the system. Keeping windows open a few inches and doors open for cross-ventilation or using portable air cleaners with HEPA filters are good strategies. Fans may also be used in windows (e.g., facing outwards to facilitate ventilation). Fans should not blow directly on or towards individuals.

Although there was some guidance about allowing students to share objects in classrooms, PE, etc we will continue to clean and disinfect these after each use as we have all year. Additionally we will continue cleaning our high touch areas on a regular basis and with our deep cleans. 

DESE Update

DESE has asked us to share this information with our communities regarding vaccinations. I am attaching their request below:

“As of Wednesday, May 12th, the Pfizer COVID vaccine has been approved for use by young people, including ages 12 and above. The COVID vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective and we urge parents to get their children vaccinated. It is also important to remember that these vaccines are voluntary. Hundreds of vaccination sites are available across the state and many of these now accept walk in appointments, including the mass vaccination sites and CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. As a reminder, the COVID vaccine is free for all, and no ID or insurance is needed to obtain the vaccine. More information on these sites, as well as safety information, and helpful Q&As are all available at www.mass.gov/covidvaccine.”

Additional information from DESE:

Summer school will be considered an extension of this school year. All regulations and guidance that are in place now will be in place over the summer.

Guidance for September will come out in mid June. This will include spacing of desks, identifying close contacts, and wearing masks in schools. 

There is new guidance about graduations in schools, Mr. Romano will share this out shortly. 

Special Education Director Update:

I would like to update you on our search for a new Director of Special Education. This week a team of school committee members, administrators, teachers, ABA’s, and support staff interviewed four candidates. At the conclusion of the interviews the committee was pleased to recommend one finalist for the next round of interviews. 

Mr. Justin Halton is currently the Assistant Education Director at the Judge Rotenberg Center. He holds an undergraduate degree in History from University of Massachusetts at Boston. A Masters in Secondary Education from UMass Boston, a second Masters in Special Education from Endicott College, and an Advanced Certificate from Curry College. Mr. Halton will spend the day in Douglas on Monday May 24 to visit schools, meet administrators, visit classrooms, and meet with students and staff. At 6PM on Monday Mr. Halton will do a staff forum for anyone who is interested in attending and then a community forum at 7PM. On June 1 a team from Douglas will virtually visit his home district to meet with staff members that he currently works with. I will take the information from all of these meetings and make a determination at that point on the viability of his candidacy.

Attached is a link to the community forum on Monday

Below is a link to the Zoom meeting

Join Zoom Meeting

https://douglasps-net.zoom.us/j/83964908961?pwd=anhHRVlrWWNsWW5qdEtYY21hdEcyQT09

Meeting ID: 839 6490 8961

Password: 159868

DOUGLAS SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM SURVEY

The Douglas School Lunch Program is seeking information to determine if there would be enough interest in a Summer Feeding Program.  This program would provide 7 free breakfasts and lunches per child ages 0-21 on a weekly basis.  Please complete the following survey by Friday, May 28, 2021 so that we may make a determination and plan accordingly.  We will let families know prior to the end of the school year if we will be providing the Summer Feeding Program.  A sign up would be required for each week to participate. If it is not feasible to provide the program due to insufficient interest, information will be made available to families regarding other food resources and programs within the area. Click here for the link to the survey.

COVID Data

Attached is a link to our COVID Dashboard along with guidance and information for families. Link To COVID Dashboard  guidance for families 


Enjoy the weekend!

Paul






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