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Date: 8/16/2021
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY – The Easthampton School Committee and the William E. Norris School Committee approved masking and other COVID-19 guidelines during their respective meetings.
Allison LeClair, the superintendent of Easthampton Public Schools (EPS), made an announcement on social media explaining the guidelines the district plans on following to start the school year. After consulting with Easthampton public health nurse and the district’s registered nurse, as well as the president of the Easthampton Education Association, EPS will begin the school year requiring face coverings for all staff and students in Pre K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
School will be fully in-person this year as well, which means there will be no remote participation option for students. Masks will also be required on buses and in nurse’s offices, and bus windows will be open but one person per seat will not be required. Masks will not be required outdoors or while eating. The school will also look to achieve a minimum of three feet social distancing.
During the Easthampton School Committee meeting on Aug. 10, LeClair laid out specific information regarding these guidelines. “We are taking in information, and as new information becomes available … we will adjust accordingly,” said LeClair. “We are committed at the district level to meet on a monthly basis with the city health department to review the data.”
LeClair told the committee that she and the Board of Health once again relied on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to make decisions for initial guidelines. Both organizations have recommended indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
According to LeClair, 25 percent of recent COVID-19 cases have occurred in students between the ages of five and 12, while 59 percent of the district’s 12- to 15-year-olds are fully vaccinated, and 72 percent of high school age children are fully vaccinated in Easthampton. As of press time, 50 percent of Easthampton’s most recent cases have occurred within fully vaccinated adults. The illness, however, has not been as severe in those who are vaccinated, according to LeClair.
“My ultimate goal is to keep schools open and to keep kids safe, and to keep adults safe,” said LeClair. “At this time, we are recommending vaccinations for children and adults 12 and up, but we are not mandating it.”
The Easthampton school district will continue to conduct pool testing every week supported by funds through the state of Massachusetts.
“For lunch, we have mitigation strategies in place,” said LeClair, who added seating will be three feet apart and students will all be facing one direction. “We are planning on having lunch indoors…each school will have an option to allow children to eat outside.”
Students will have their regular school schedule, according to LeClair, and the schools will continue to do extensive cleaning throughout the year. Art rooms and gyms will be open, but students will most likely be put at individual desks rather than group desks.
“I find the plan and the guidelines really thought out,” said Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, during the meeting. “The idea of test and stay certainly makes a lot of difference and gives our families some consistently.”
Meanwhile, the Southampton School Committee conducted a lengthier discussion regarding the mask mandate specifically for William E. Norris.
Diana Bonneville, the superintendent for the Hampshire Regional School District, told the committee the written guidelines to start the school year combined language from Massachusetts Association for School Committees and their own as a district. The recommendations were based off CDC and AAP guidance, as well as recommendations from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Through this guidance, the committee will begin the school year requiring masks while in school buildings for all students and adults, regardless of vaccination. Masks will be required during transportation but will not be required outside, during physical education, or while eating. A written note from a physician will be required for an individual who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition or other disability, but masks will also be exempt if students cannot breathe with them on. Students will not be exempt from the mask rule if a parent signs a waiver. Face shields, meanwhile, could be used as an alternative depending on the situation.
“Masks and vaccinations are really what all of our organizations really stressed to is for best mitigation strategies,” said Bonneville. The schools plan on continuing with their cleaning strategies from the spring, as well as outdoor mask breaks when possible. “We would like to start off strong, so we keep everybody safe,” she added. “The last thing I want to see is an outbreak on the first week in school.”
While the organizations do not give much guidance on lunch, Bonneville said that they agreed to allow distance during these times so students are not on top of each other. Plexiglass will also be available for teachers to create distance between them and students in classrooms.
School Committee member Alison Radon stated she understands the importance of masks, but she felt that they could make it difficult for younger students. “I feel like we’re really hindering on [students’] phonics, their pronunciations, their emotional cues.” Radon did not vote yes on the aforementioned guidance, and also noted the anxiety and depression that comes with mask-wearing.
“The recommendations from all of those professionals…they’re saying, ‘this is what I think you guys should do,” said School Committee member Austin Rogers. “I don’t feel comfortable overruling them at this juncture. I think it’s prudent to follow their guidance.”
Small group activities in short spans of time-specifically less than 15 minutes-will be okay to utilize for now, but that rule can change depending on which way numbers end up going.
Changes could be made to these guidelines based on other guidance, and the next Norris School Committee meeting will be Sept. 8.