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Date: 12/27/2021
SOUTH HADLEY – The South Hadley School Committee met to discuss COVID-19, the Test and Stay program and more on Dec. 16.
To begin the meeting, the School Committee had to vote on a new vice chair. The previous Vice Chair, Allyson Garcia, recently resigned from the committee.
Member Danielle Cooke nominated Dr. Jen Matos for the position. Matos said that she was happy to accept.
“I’m excited to continue working and to continue working even harder, so I’d be delighted. I am aware of the weight of this and I’m ready, so I would be happy to serve in that capacity,” said Matos.
The School Committee unanimously voted to approve Matos to the position of vice chair.
Superintendent Dr. Jahmal Mosley then offered an update on COVID-19 and vaccination rates during the meeting. According to Mosley, the district recently hosted a public forum to answer any questions from residents, give information on Test and Stay and reassure the public that they are aware and staying abreast of the challenges with COVID-19.
“In this environment, COVID-19 is not going away. I hope I’m wrong, I hope I’m terribly wrong, but I think this is by far the new norm,” said Mosley.
Plains Elementary School is currently at a vaccination rate of 26 percent. Mosier Elementary is at 33 percent, Michael E. Smith Middle School is at 48 percent and South Hadley High School is at 68 percent vaccinated.
Mosley said the schools have already hosted two COVID-19 vaccination clinics and are trying to host one more before winter break.
“We certainly want to make sure that we allow our kids to get as much exposure to the vaccination as they can,” said Mosley.
Dr. Mark McLaughlin also gave an update on the Test and Stay Program. According to McLaughlin, there are currently 913 consent forms on file for the program. He said this is a big increase from the last meeting.
“That’s a significant increase from a week ago and so we are just continuing to want to promote the invitation to sign up for Test and Stay,” said McLaughlin.
School Committee member Eric Friesner praised the Test and Stay Program for helping keep kids in school if exposed to COVID-19. He also encouraged parents and guardians to continue signing their children up for the program.
“I had one son who was a close contact in September before Test and Stay and, you know, he had to stay home for a week and then another son who, a week ago, was considered a close contact during Test and Stay and he got to stay in school the whole time. So for anyone out there listening, if you haven’t signed up for Test and Stay, do it. It keeps kids in school, which is the whole goal,” said Friesner.
Both McLaughlin and School Committee members also thanked nurses and school staff for helping get Test and Stay up and running smoothly and efficiently.
“They don’t always necessarily get awards, but they also do some pretty heroic stuff every day and the work that they’ve done… I can hardly describe how hard they work every day to make sure that students are safe, that parents are informed of what’s going on and that they keep us apprised of all of the developments that we have to know about for health and safety. So, really, just once again want to thank our district nurses for something that they really never signed up for, but have gracefully taken on,” said McLaughlin.
Chair of the School Committee Allison Schlachter agreed.
“I so appreciate everything you’re saying about the nurses. I know that this is the toughest time in history for school nurses and healthcare workers everywhere, but as I’m listening to you talk and hear the respect you have for our nurses and the job you’re doing, it’s just very heartwarming,” she said.
Those interested in viewing the School Committee meeting in its entirety are encouraged to visit the South Hadley Community Television page.