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Date: 8/10/2021
NORTHAMPTON – After the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) made the decision to encourage but not require masks, Northampton officials are working on their plans for the upcoming school year.
“In terms of all health and safety protocols, we have to think of this next school year like last year,” Superintendent Dr. John Provost said. Northampton schools experienced various forms of operation during the last school year, opening in July 2020 for vulnerable students before embracing a hybrid model in which students split time learning in-class and online.
Schools then opened fully during the spring, a process that went smoothly according to Provost.
“Over the course of the last school year, we did not have a single case of COVID-19 transmission that was traced back to exposure in the schools,” Provost said.
Last year’s success provides a sturdy blueprint for Provost and the School Committee, but the new school year brings on a fresh set of challenges. Students under 12 are still not able to get vaccinated, while the emergence of the more contagious delta variant places an extra responsibility on schools to maintain rigid safety protocols.
Typical social distance standards like maintaining 6 feet apart and reducing classroom sizes will stay in place. However, the School Committee will be open to enhanced changes.
“My sincere hope is that we will be in person for the entire year, but we may shift to different levels of protective measures within the schools in order to keep open based on what’s happening with COVID,” said Provost. Provost will be working with local health officials, decision makers and teachers to determine the best course of action for the town.
One group that hopes for definite changes is the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA). The MTA’s board of directors voted unanimously on Aug. 1 to support a mandatory mask mandate across all schools. Along with encouraging changes to DESE’s initial decision, the MTA called for Gov. Charlie Baker to provide a new set of regulations. Free COVID testing for students, improve ventilation systems for air flow and increased vaccination advocacy for eligible students are among the requests listed in their New Business Item.
According to an MTA official, these requests were crafted through careful consultation with health officials. The MTA has been in consistent support of stricter safety guidelines. They recently rallied behind Senator Becca Rausch’s Community Immunity Act, which would create complete vaccination rate data for youths and target outreach towards youth for vaccinations.
DESE’s decision does give Northampton leeway to establish firmer conditions. “I think [the DESE decision] is not as beneficial as it should be. We have a desire to establish more specific information,” said School Committee member Lonnie Kaufman. To address unvaccinated youths, Northampton plans to require masks in grades pre-K-6 for all students and staff.
For grades 7-12, there’s still “a little bit of uncertainty” as to what the mask policies will be for the intermix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students, according to Provost.
Final decisions will be made during the month with Northampton Public Schools set to open on Sept. 2.
In the meantime, the Board of Health approved a masking mandate for indoor public spaces in the city at its Aug. 9 meeting.