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Date: 8/25/2021
LONGMEADOW – Discussion revolved around the districts COVID-19 procedures for the upcoming school year at the Longmeadow School Committee’s Aug. 23 meeting.
The meeting kicked off with impassioned pleas in support of a mask mandate from a majority of the public in attendance. From a retired doctor to seventh grade students, the message rang loudly through the hour-long public comment period. “I would feel much more comfortable when everyone is masked because I want to keep everyone safe,” said Julia Bombich, a seventh grader at Williams Middle School.
The School Committee opened up discussion with Chair of the Board of Health (BOH) Bob Baevsky. With the governor not laying down state-wide restrictions as opposed to last year, Baevsky clarified that the BOH has full authority to enforce mask mandates and other regulations throughout the state. “The [health] board’s decision is what the school board will have to abide by,” said Baevsky.
The Longmeadow Board of Health decided on Aug. 17 that masking will be required in the school system. Baevsky said that additional restrictions like social distancing are not in place but could be implemented in future weeks or by the School Committee. This ties in with Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley of the Department of Education and Secondary Education’s [DESE] decision, made on Aug. 24, to mandate masks for everyone in K-12 schools through Oct. 1.
Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea provided an update on the town’s COVID-19 status, stating that the town incurred 20 positive cases over the previous two weeks. While that is only an increase of one positive case from Longmeadow’s prior period, O’Shea said the Hampden County district continues to show drastic increases with 1,737 cases over the two-week period. “Hampden County is in the highest category of risk according to the Center of Disease Control [CDC],” said O’Shea.
O’Shea announced a series of updates since the Aug. 10 meeting. He said that vaccinated asymptomatic people, mask wearers with three feet of distance and those with a COVID-19 diagnosis over a 90-day period will not have to quarantine in the case of being a close contact. The school is also planning to implement “Test and Stay” COVID-19 testing, which would allow close contact cases to remain in school as long as they test negative during a seven-day period, according to O’Shea.
O’Shea revealed that Longmeadow Schools plan to enforce a 3-foot distance standard to reduce the possibility of close contacts. His presentation stated that K-8 grade students will have to stay 6 feet apart during lunch and other breaks, while older students will only be enforced to follow the 3-foot mandate.
These protocols fit O’Shea’s overarching goal of keeping students in school he said. “Our primary goal this year is five days of school in-person with as full attendance as possible,” said O’Shea. The Longmeadow district does not have a remote option in place, with O’Shea stating the lack of other options adds an emphasis to in-person learning.
School Committee member Jamie Hensch shared concerns over these decisions, questioning why organizations like DESE and the BOH have overtaken decision making powers from the committee. “Where we were coordinating and having a conversation, it feels like we’re now out of the mix [after the BOH’s masking decision]. The directionless of this is nerve-racking” said Hensch. School Committee member Mary Keane also raised questions about the lack of remote option, which could possibly isolate students who are absent over an extended period of time.
Baevsky responded by addressing the School Committee’s powers within this decision, stating that the committee can add additional restrictions in order to create a safer learning environment. Physician Dr. Sally Ginsburg also stressed the mystery of the current situation, with breakthrough cases continuing to pop up throughout the state. “The only tool we really have is a mask,” said Ginsburg.
Discussion continued between the School Committee, O’Shea and BOH officials about the mandates established. The committee decided that they will support the masking mandate, making a motion to extend the masking policy to include the pre-K programs.
The Longmeadow School Committee will meet again on Sept 14. to further discuss COVID-19 protocols.