Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/2/2022
HADLEY – The Hadley School Committee met on Jan. 24 and discussed the school’s vaccination rates as well as some important updates regarding COVID-19.
School Committee member Tara Brugger began the meeting thanking the nurses within Hadley schools for how hard they’ve been working and the effort they have put in during such a challenging time.
The committee then dove into the data of vaccination rates among students. At Hopkins Academy, 87 percent of students are fully vaccinated, with eighth graders being the highest vaccinated grade at 97 percent. Grades seven and 12 show the lowest vaccination rates in the school with 74 and 77 percent fully vaccinated, respectively. This has not meant more cases for the two grades as the seventh graders have seen only four COVID-19 cases to the seniors 10.
At Hadley Elementary, almost 43 percent of all students are vaccinated. This is the most recent group to be approved for the vaccine and the 11 percent rate for pre-K students brings the overall percentage down. Second graders at the elementary school are the highest vaccinated group at 57 percent.
“We looked at vaccination rates last month and we also looked at case counts last month. There was most likely 18 cases districtwide to date for this school year. Today, we are at 115,” said Superintendent Anne McKenzie. “Between your School Committee [meeting] on Dec. 21 and this School Committee meeting, it increased by almost 100 cases. With that in mind, parents suggested we look at this again, making pool testing a requirement for participation in extracurricular activities.”
While at the time the superintendent thought this may be the best thing to do based on the numbers, the School Committee has ultimately made it voluntary and are asking parents of students who participate in extracurricular activities to sign up for weekly pool testing. It is not mandatory but for the purpose of tracing COVID-19 cases in the school with students who are in extracurricular activities, with numbers having just spiked to end 2021.
“My daughter was pretty unnerved to be surrounded with as many people who were coming down with cases of COVID [-19],” said Humera Fasihuddin, chair of the School Committee. “I think we just have to take as many precautions as we can because this is after all a global pandemic.”
Committee member Heather Klesch added that any requests like these were not intended to be set in stone for the rest of the year and that the committee will continue to adapt with the latest trends in case numbers during the pandemic. The school is only asking students to participate in weekly testing, but attendees of extracurriculars will have no requirement to attend.
“We’ve had to roll with the punches these last two years, and I think at every step of the way we’ve kept the safety and health and well-being of the community, of our students, our faculty at the front of this,” said member Ethan Percy. “I think as long as we continue to do that I think we’re making the best decisions for this community.”
Percy applauded the work of the committee as they have kept schools open and continued to have sports and spectators.
“As long as we keep the school continuing moving in the right direction and operating as close to normal as possible, that’s what we’re looking for,” Percy added.
A final announcement from the committee regarding COVD-19 was introducing an opt-in program that gives access to at-home rapid antigen tests for students and staff. The program is completely voluntary and all families in the district have received a form. As of the meeting, there were already 113 families representing 171 individual students have opted in, as well as 88 staff members. This program was announced by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) on Jan. 18 and is supported by contract with iHealth secured by the Baker-Polito administration to deliver 26 million tests, which are prioritized for schools and child care facilities.
The tests will be distributed to opted in students when they come in every two weeks. The kits come with two tests with the hope that in addition to the weekly pooled testing, that families can have the option to use at-home tests. Families opted in must report a positive test to the district to notify the schools.
“This is a wonderful program. Testing is hard to come by and it’s also expensive,” said McKenzie. “This is free to families in staff and so please if you’re interested, sign up.”