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Date: 8/17/2021
AMHERST – Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) will continue to require everyone inside school buildings to wear masks and would exercise social distancing to start the 2021-2022 academic year.
“We continue to focus on the health and safety of the ARPS community,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Morris said in a letter to the community. “To that end, ARPS staff have been working diligently to ensure that the physical environment in every building is cleaned, sanitized and arranged in accordance with the health and safety guidelines provided by local, state and national health experts.”
Face coverings will be required regardless of vaccination status but not for individuals with disabilities that prevent them from wearing them. The decision is a stronger policy than the current state guidance. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) strongly recommends indoor masking for K-6 students as well as all unvaccinated staff and visitors, and unvaccinated grade 7-12 students.
Morris noted the district developed its masking policy after seeking guidance from Amherst Temporary Health Director Jennifer Brown and ARPS Nurse Leader Robbin Suprenant as well as local physicians. Their recommendation, he said, was in line with the American Academy of Pediatricians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance.
He added the district would maintain social distancing practices “to the extent possible in our schools.”
“At the elementary level, that will mean that classrooms, including those in the primary grades, will have desks instead of tables in the primary seating areas,” he said. “Additionally, we will continue to encourage outdoor learning.”
Addressing air quality, Morris said, “The ventilation in indoor spaces across the district has improved significantly over the past 18 months.” He indicated that ventilation measures in ARPS buildings would include HEPA purification systems, open windows, and improved unit ventilators in areas flagged by professional evaluators during inspections.
“I am glad to report that many of our large group spaces that were not accessible last year, such as several gymnasiums, auditoriums, and cafeterias, can be utilized this year due to improved ventilation in these spaces,” he said.
Morris also stressed the importance of eligible members of the community receiving vaccinations.
“The medical community has emphasized time and time again that vaccines are currently the best defense against COVID-19 and its variants, including delta,” he said. “If you are above the age of 12 and have not yet been vaccinated, I urge you to consult with your family medical practitioner about the advisability of vaccination. Unfortunately, our youngest learners are not able to be vaccinated at this time, so those who can be vaccinated need to do our part to keep them safe.”
He also noted the policies are subject to change depending on variables such as local vaccination rates among the school community and community at large, local case counts and community spread, and altered guidance from public health officials.
Meanwhile, in response to a recent media report that while weekly testing services will remain available, the Baker-Polito Administration intends to suspend its practice of collecting and sharing school data on COVID-19, state Rep. Mindy Domb penned a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker on Aug. 13 urging him to reconsider.
“If municipalities are required to make decisions about mask wearing indoors on their own, as this administration has suggested, we must provide the statewide data and resources they need to help inform these decisions,” the letter read, in part. “Surveillance provides the information our communities and families deserve. Surveillance will ensure we are able to respond equitably in these communities across the state. It will allow us to understand if there are consequences to in-person learning and potentially the benefit of mask wearing for this population.”
The first day of school for grades 1-12 is a half-day on Aug. 30. Preschool and kindergarten classes begin on Sept. 1.
Morris noted in his letter the schools would operate with new start times, which were approved by the School Committee the year prior. At the elementary schools, arrival time will be 8:10 a.m. elementary students and 8:30 a.m. for preschool students. Dismissal will be at 2:40 p.m. Dismissal time for early release days will be 12:30 p.m. Morris encouraged carpooling to streamline the arrival and dismissal process and noted school principals would send more specific information for parents planning to drop off or pick up their children.
Arrival for secondary-level students will be 9:05 a.m. with dismissal at 3:35 p.m. Early release dismissal will be 1:20 p.m.
Morris also announced federally supported free breakfast and lunch programs for all students would continue throughout the school year.