Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Thank you for all of your support to make our hybrid model the best it can possibly be for our students. As we look ahead to the New Year, please continue to guide our students to make the best choices for New Year’s celebrations with respect to gatherings and events. Taking a careful approach is our best avenue for continued success and remaining open.

COVID-19 Updates

Please note that while school is in session we are continuing to share the student and staff positive cases as they are reported. However, as we are closed this week, I will be compiling the figures received over the break and communicate them upon our return. To date there have only been a handful of unrelated cases reported and there has not been a need for contact tracing or additional quarantines since we have not been in school since December 18^th.

It is important to note that we are still not seeing concerning evidence of transmission within the schools.

Most transmission continues to occur at home or in other situations where individuals are inside and without masks and unaware that one person who is a close contact has been exposed to COVID-19. Please continue to wear masks, physically distance, and wash hands frequently in order to control transmission.

Returning to School on January 4th

As you may be aware, many schools and districts are remaining in full remote in the days after the winter break. Many of these districts are seeing evidence of transmission in school or are seeing numbers that do not allow for enough adults to be present to safely reopen school. I have checked in with our Principals and we do not believe that this is a concern at this time and we hope that our staff remains healthy and safe in the coming weeks.

When we return, please continue to use our Daily Health Screener and also comply with all associated aspects of the Massachusetts Travel Order. It is critical that anyone who feels ill stays home and anyone who has traveled stays home until the quarantine/testing travel guidance is met. Our principals and nurses will be able to assist with any questions.

At this time we are closely monitoring the numbers for the Town of North Reading and the rate of transmission in our schools. As I have stated previously, even as the Town remains in “red” and as the rate of transmission is low, our schools will remain open as they continue to be safe places for our staff and students. This fact was confirmed again this week in our weekly meeting with the Town Public Health Nurse, Director of Public Heath, Town Administrator, and Police and Fire Chiefs.

Student Learning Time

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released today a dashboard for student learning time.  The data reported reflects the efforts of our teachers, students, families, and administrators to provide the best in person and remote learning opportunities possible for our students in our current hybrid model.

Once again, thank you all for your incredible support this year and have a wonderful and safe New Year’s celebration as we welcome 2021!

Be well,

Dr. Daly

Dear Parents, Families, and Caregivers,

Thank you for all of your support to make our hybrid model the best it can possibly be for our students. I wish you all the Happiest of Holiday Seasons. I hope that you are all able to relax and enjoy the time with your family.

I wanted to provide a few updates as we head into the winter break.

COVID-19 Updates

Please note that we are continuing to share the student and staff positive cases as they are reported. As there is an increase in the number of individuals in North Reading who are testing positive it follows that there is an increase in the number of staff and students who also test positive.

It is important to note that we are still not seeing concerning evidence of transmission within the schools.

So, for example, when my report indicates that there are four new cases at one school that does not necessarily mean that these students have passed it to one another at school.

We are still seeing most transmission occurring at the home or in other situations where individuals are inside and without masks and unaware that one person who is a close contact has been exposed to COVID-19.

Quarantine and Contact Tracing

It is as important now as ever to follow the instructions of the public health nurse and/or school nurses who have informed close contacts of the need to quarantine. Each person doing his or her part is the best way for us to move beyond these challenging weeks and to keep our schools open and our activities running.

Whenever the district or town learns of a positive case we begin the process for contact tracing. We follow Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines for contact tracing and go back two days from the date of the test (not the date results are received) or two days from the onset of symptoms. We then decide which other staff and students are close contacts and follow up with those individuals and families to provide the details of the quarantine period.

A large part of the reason why our schools were in remote this week was to allow for more time between the holiday breaks and the last time students and staff were together in person. This decision has helped us to lessen the need for contact tracing over the holidays and through the winter break.

When we return, please continue to use our Daily Health Screener and also comply with all associated aspects of the Massachusetts Travel Order.

Influenza Vaccine

Thank you to everyone who has complied with the Massachusetts requirement for students to receive the influenza vaccine. Your actions have made our students and schools safer this fall and allowed our nurses to focus on the needs related to COVID-19.

For those who are still in need of receiving the vaccine (or if you are seeking a religious or medical exemption) please contact your school nurse. The deadline for compliance has now been extended by Massachusetts until February 28, 2021. We ask that you continue to comply as soon as possible so that we are able to assure that your records are updated in our system.

All students will be able to return to our hybrid model on January 4^th. Those who are still in need of the influenza vaccine should take the steps to be vaccinated (or for the exemptions) as soon as possible.

Returning to School in January

As you may be aware, many schools and districts are remaining in full remote in the days after the winter break. Many of these districts faced many issues with staff and students following the Thanksgiving holiday.

It is critically important that our entire school community limits travel and gatherings during this winter break in order to ensure a safe return in January.

At this time we are closely monitoring the numbers for the Town of North Reading and the rate of transmission in our schools. As I have stated previously, even if the Town remains in “red” and the rate of transmission is low, our schools will remain open as they continue to be safe places for our staff and students. This fact was confirmed yesterday in our weekly meeting with the town public health nurse, town administrator, and police and fire chief.

Another reason that could impact our ability to reopen would be not having enough staff to open a building safely. We are hoping that this will not be a concern and that our staff remains healthy and safe in the coming weeks.

If anything changes with respect to our return to the hybrid model on January 4^th I will be sure to communicate this information in as timely a manner as possible.

Once again, thank you all for your incredible support this year and have a wonderful holiday season!

Be well,

Dr. Daly

December 11, 2020 Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I'm writing today to provide a few important updates that were discussed at last evening's School Committee meeting related to COVID-19 communication, testing, the influenza vaccine, and our Performing Arts classes and activities.

COVID-19 COMMUNICATION

As you are aware the district has been in the practice of sending an email update for any new positive cases for staff or students. As the numbers increase it is important that we continue to communicate this information to you but I am concerned about "fatigue" from receiving so many of these important emails. However, it was decided at the meeting last night that these emails would continue as they ultimately provide everyone in the community the information needed to make decisions for their families.

In addition, we have published a dashboard to provide the updated numbers of positive staff and students by school. This information is on the District Website under the COVID-19 Updates page and also available directly here.

To date, to my knowledge, we have not had any signs of transmission in our schools. When we communicate that a staff member or students has not been in school recently, this is meant to assure those in that school community that there is not a need for contact tracing in the schools related to that case. In other circumstances, if the staff member or student has been in school, there is a need to contact trace and possibly quarantine individuals who are within six feet for a period of 15 minutes.

We will be following the latest science and updates from the Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with respect to the quarantine periods required for those close contacts and positive cases. As always, thank you to our school nurses for sharing this information with all close contacts and positive individuals and providing the support to everyone involved.

COVID-19 TESTING

Thank you to everyone who participated in the feedback survey and viewed the informational presentations this week. The support from educators and families was about 85% in favor of the district taking the additional steps to pursue the BinaxNOW Antigen Testing. Given that the costs associated with these steps are very low (the tests themselves will be available at no cost) the School Committee approved the district to to the explore the next steps to join the Phase 1 of this testing trial. More information and details will be forthcoming with the hope of implementing soon in the new year.

The most important aspect to communicate is that this test will only be used for symptomatic individuals and it is still critically important that students and staff who are not feeling well must continue to remain home. This message will be reiterated as we move forward with this process. We will also continue to pursue any other future opportunities related to testing. 

INFLUENZA VACCINE FOR STUDENTS

Thank you to everyone who has already provided the updated influenza vaccine information to our school nurses. If you have not done so already please be sure to have this information to our school nurses no later than December 18, 2020. There is an existing mandate requiring all students to receiving the influenza vaccine prior to December 31, 2020. There are certain medical and religious exemptions that can be discussed with your school nurse as well.

PERFORMING ARTS UPDATE

​​​At the secondary level our performing arts courses (chorus, band, etc.) have been conducting most of their classes outdoors in order to comply with the safety guidelines from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and National Music Associations. As the weather conditions make it impossible to continue outdoor learning on most days we have worked with the K-12 Curriculum Leader, Carla Lister, as well as Allison Kane and other performing arts educators as a part of our Fine Arts subcommittee to develop the safest practices and procedures for conducting these activities indoors. We have identified the spaces and necessary safety precautions to continue our performing arts classes indoors following all guidelines for physical distancing and other restrictions. These classes will begin indoors on December 14, 2020 in carefully identified areas and we do not anticipate any concerns related to this well researched endeavour. Thank you our Performing Arts educators, especially Ms. Lister and Ms. Kane, for their very thorough and detailed work on this process which will allow all of our students to continue with these performing arts opportunities.

As always, thank you to everyone in our school community for their continued support and patience throughout all of the challenges this fall as we continue to provide the best supports possible for our students.

Be well,

Dr. Daly

COVID-19 Testing Video and Survey

 Dear staff, parents, families, and caregivers,

Thank you to those who were able to join our information session last evening. If you have not had a chance to do so, there is a YouTube link below for the presentation.

There is also a link to a survey that will be used to learn more about your interest in having the schools pursue this opportunity. Please view/review this information session prior to completing this survey. All information shared via this survey will assist us in making an informed decision about our participation in the BinaxNOW Clinical Study. 

If you could please view the presentation and complete the survey by Thursday evening at 5pm that will allow this information to be shared at our School Committee meeting that evening.

Presentation link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKbL9Ei6Ai0 (approx. 30 mins)

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/LBFACcppC7cgwWWi8

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

 Around the Schoolyard

COVID-19 Testing 

Patrick C. Daly, Ed.D. 

Superintendent of Schools,  North Reading Public Schools

This week I will be sharing information with the North Reading Public Schools Community about an opportunity to explore COVID-19 testing for symptomatic staff and students in our schools. This initiative is a part of a larger initiative from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) who recently announced “an initiative to deliver 150 million Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Point of Care (POC) SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests to schools and other strategic environments.”

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has informed districts of the opportunity to participate in Phase I of this trial as Massachusetts “will obtain approximately 2 million tests for use in priority settings including but not limited to public districts, charter schools, educational collaboratives, and approved special education schools.”

 

DESE explains that “Phase I is intended for districts and schools providing any type of in-person instruction, such as full-in person or hybrid instructional models or in-person services for high needs students.” 

What would this process look like in our schools?

Currently, when a student or staff member is in school and presents symptoms of COVID-19, the person is assessed by the school nurse and then dismissed and instructed to take a PCR test, which is the “gold standard” for diagnosing COVID-19. Following receipt of those test results the district is able to respond to any positive cases and begin the process of contact tracing. However, it can sometimes take up to 2-3 days to receive this information. 

If the district were to participate in the BinaxNOW initiative we would have access to the rapid tests, which are antigen tests, and we would have the results within 15 minutes. Both positive and negative tests would require follow up tests, but since the “false positive rate” is quite low we would be able to identify positive individuals, and their close contacts, much more quickly and act accordingly to isolate and quarantine those individuals.  

Should students and staff still remain home if they are sick?

Absolutely! Having this additional resource in our schools should in no way impact whether staff or students should attend school or work if they have symptoms. However, it is possible that students or staff may begin to exhibit symptoms during the school day and this is when this in-school testing would be utilized.

Will all staff and students be required to participate?

We will confirm that there is an opt-out process for students or staff who do not wish to participate or provide consent for testing. These students and staff would follow our current procedures and be dismissed from school and await the results of the PCR test.

What are the next steps in the process?

I will be hosting a forum on December 8th for parents, guardians, and staff and presenting at the Board of Health on December 9th and at the North Reading School Committee on December 10th. This Around the Schoolyard article is an additional communication to the community about our exploration of this opportunity. Recordings of the December 8th presentation as well as the School Committee meeting will be available on the district’s website in the coming days.

We will consider input from parents, students, staff, administrators, and educators, as well as the Public Health experts and School Committee as we make this decision. There are a series of checklist items that we would need to complete in order to participate, including a standing order issued by our District Physician and a certificate of waiver from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA).

Thank you to our entire school community

Finally, I would like to thank our students, families, and all of the staff in North Reading for their  support this year. Since this pandemic began our Town Administrator, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Health Nurse, Director of Public Health and I meet at least weekly to discuss all matters related to COVID-19 and our community.  Our school nurses and school physician have been so helpful in our decision making process and in their tireless efforts every single day. I truly appreciate the collective efforts of everyone involved in helping us make our school environment as safe as possible for our students and staff.

More information about the BinaxNOW testing is available here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/BinaxNOW/

COVID-19 BinaxNOW testing opportunity


The North Reading Public Schools are in the initial stages of exploring an opportunity to have COVID-19 testing available for symptomatic students and staff. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and The Department of Public Health have collaborated on this opportunity that is currently being explored by approximately 160 Massachusetts school districts.


To be clear, no decisions have yet been made about this opportunity. We believe that we need to do our due diligence and explore this opportunity and we wish to solicit input and feedback from all stakeholders to inform our decisions.


This antigen test would be used only for symptomatic students and staff to help determine more rapidly whether a person is positive. These results will assist with contact tracing and provide more data to efficiently guide the positive person to isolation and to determine those who need to quarantine as close contacts.


There would be opt-out provisions for staff and families concerned with the sharing of data and/or for consenting to testing. In those cases the students or staff would just continue to follow our current protocol.


We understand that there will be many questions about this testing opportunity and there will be three opportunities to learn more this upcoming week:


                    Tuesday, December 8th at 7pm                     Staff/Parent Information Forum


                    Wednesday, December 9th at 7pm                     Board of Health Meeting
                                                                                        (direct link available next week)


                        Thursday, December 10th at 6:30pm         North Reading School Committee


Please note:


The Staff/Parent Information Program will focus on this one topic and will begin promptly at 7pm.


The other public meetings will have additional agenda items and this topic will be covered only at the time allotted in the agenda.


The staff/parent forum and school committee meetings will be recorded and posted on our website and/or shared for those who are unable to attend.


Thank you for all of your ongoing support.


Sincerely yours,


Dr. Daly

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday I want to take a moment to thank all parents, staff, and students for their tremendous efforts this year. I hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving break.

When we resume school on November 30th we will continue with the same hybrid schedule we have been following since September. Beginning that week there will be three full weeks of school following that schedule (elementary schools will still have the 1/2 day Wednesday schedule). The week of December 21-23 has been modified as per my previous announcement and reminders will be sent leading into that week as well.

Also, there have been many questions related to travel and quarantine.

As a district we are following the Massachusetts Travel Order for all staff and students and applying the requirements to be tested or to quarantine to everyone in the district.

More information can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

Currently, only Massachusetts, Vermont, and Hawaii are considered low risk states according to the Massachusetts Travel Order. Any travel to any other states would necessitate adherence to the travel order which includes the following:

• A negative result on a PCR test (must be a PCR test) prior to returning to campus.
• Quarantining until those results are available.
  • Students who must quarantine may attend school remotely
  • Staff may be able to work remotely until the test results are available and should speak with their building principal or director.
• You can also call 2-1-1 for additional information about the Travel Order.
  

In general it is advisable to follow the best advice around travel and gatherings this year. Massachusetts has issued recommendations for holiday gatherings this year that can be found here: mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19 and here are some CDC recommendations for Thanksgiving.

As you have read in recent correspondence we are seeing more staff and students who have tested positive for COVID-19. As you make decisions related to travel and gatherings around the holidays this year please consider not only what is best for you and your family this year but what is best for everyone in our school community. 

The school days when we return from the holidays will be critically important for us to contain the risks of transmission in school. It is essential that all students and staff:

• Complete the Daily Health Screener
  
• Stay home when sick (or have been with someone showing symptoms)
  
• Follow all quarantines and testing requirements related to travel
  
• Follow all guidance around masks, handwashing, and physical distancing 
  

We are all in this together and the safer each person is the better our school environment will be for everyone.

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Be well,

Dr. Daly

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday there have been many questions related to travel and quarantine. 

As a district we are following the Massachusetts Travel Order for all staff and students and applying the requirements to be tested or to quarantine to everyone in the district.

More information can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

Currently, only Massachusetts, Vermont, and Hawaii are considered low risk states according to the Massachusetts Travel Order. Any travel to other states would necessitate adherence to the travel order which includes the following:

• A negative result on a PCR test (must be a PCR test) prior to returning to campus.

• Quarantining until those results are available.

o Students who must quarantine may attend school remotely

o Staff may be able to work remotely until the test results are available and should speak with their building principal or director.

In general it is advisable to follow the best advice around travel and gatherings this year. Massachusetts has issued recommendations for holiday gatherings this year that can be found here: mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19

As you have read in recent correspondence we are seeing more staff and students who have tested positive for COVID-19. As you make decisions related to travel and the holidays this year please consider not only what is best for you and your family this year but what is best for everyone in our school community. 

I am reminded of the motto made famous by Alexandre Dumas, “one for all, and all for one.”  We are all in this together and the safer each person is the better our school environment will be for everyone.

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Dr. Daly

 

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Thank you to those who attended and contributed to the parent forum last evening. If you would like to view/review the recording please visit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIhe_nUu2R0

If you would like to provide your input into the proposed calendar recommendations for December please take this survey as soon as possible but no later than Thursday at 5pm: https://forms.gle/Y38F5pyEzLzWFBPH8. Please be sure to review last evening's presentation prior to taking the survey. The December calendar discussion begins at 53:48.

I have also included the links to two documents that I mentioned last evening: the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents position statement as well as information about the state public health requirement for the influenza vaccine by December 31, 2020.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

 

Parent Forum November 17th 7pm

 

Remote Learning Assistance Update

 Hello parents, guardians, and families,

Beginning on Monday, November 2nd there will be availability for elementary students from each of our schools to participate in a remote learning assistance program through the YMCA. At this time, in order to create three distinct programs for each school, the locations will vary depending upon your child's school and the cost will be $50 per day for this program.

To begin we will have availability for one program for each cohort at each elementary school (13 students per cohort) so please indicate your interest in participating as soon as possible by contacting MaryAnn Hanafin via email at mhanafin@ymcaboston.org . MaryAnn will also be able to answer any questions about the program and also provide sign-up forms and information.

​If there is additional interest at other levels and/or beyond these opportunities we will continue to explore the possibilities of expansion.

Thank you to the YMCA for their continued partnership with our district to make such opportunities available for our students and families.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Daly

Influenza Clinics and Prescription Drug and Vape Take Back

 

Influenza Clinics at North Reading Public Schools Locations

There is still space available for parents, families, and students who are learning from home on the following dates this week! Please use the following links by clicking on a date below and register soon as the slots will fill up quickly:

October 21^st:

October 22^nd:  

October 23^rd:

 

 

North Reading Police are Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs and Vapes on October 24th

On Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the North Reading Police Department, North Youth

Substance Use Prevention Coalition, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the

public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous

expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the O’Leary Senior

Center at 157 Park Street. Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.

Unwanted vape devices (with removed ion batteries) and vape cartages will also be accepted. The

service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

October 15, 2020 Update

 

Dear parents, families, and the North Reading Public Schools community,

I'm writing today with just a few important reminders about school health and safety. The town of North Reading continues to remain in the “yellow” category and it is as important than ever that we follow all rules for physical distancing, social gatherings, mask wearing, and hand washing both in school and when at home.

Daily Health Screener

All staff and students should continue to complete our Daily Health Screener. This should be done in the morning before coming on the bus or campus (not the night before or after arrival).

Travel

With the holiday season approaching it is important to consider all the restrictions in place concerning travel.

As described on our Daily Health Screener, if you plan travel anywhere that is not considered a low risk state you need to contact your Principal or the Superintendent before returning to campus.

For anyone considering travel you must follow all of the COVID-19 Travel Order. In addition, the North Reading Public Schools requires that all students and staff who travel anywhere that is not a low risk state must produce a negative test or must quarantine in accordance with the travel order. This is an additional safety requirement for our schools beyond what the Governor’s order requires that we have deemed necessary to ensure the safety of all staff and students.

The specifics of what is required can be discussed with the principal or school nurse prior to travel as there are many extenuating circumstances that may be taken into consideration.

Using School Facilities During School Hours

As a reminder, community members are not allowed to use school facilities (track, tennis courts, etc.) during the school day. We will be sending a reminder message to the community but we also want to be sure that all of our parents and families are aware as well.

This is an ongoing safety consideration and it is especially important now, during this pandemic, that our students are physically distanced from anyone using the track or facilities during the school day or during school athletics or activities in the afternoon.

There are many signs posted on the fields but we will look to add additional reminders for everyone in the community in order to provide the safest environment for our students and staff.

As always, thank you for your support of our schools.

Be well,

Dr. Daly

Available Positions

 Hello everyone,

In order to continue to provide the very best learning opportunities for our students we need additional support. Please consider applying for these available paid positions at our schools:

Building Based Substitutes

The North Reading Public Schools continue to seek qualified applicants to serve as building based substitutes. 

• There are positions at all three elementary schools five days per week.
• Candidates can “job share” and work only on the days when their children are in school.
• The position pays $95 per day and $60 on ½ days.
• Candidates will only be assigned to work at one school building for the entire school year

Batchelder Elementary School	7:30 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Little Elementary School	7:50 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
North Reading High School	8:15 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Interested applicants may apply by completing the application via school spring at the following link: https://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=3344979&print&preview

Remote Learning Assistants 

Job Description  https://www.schoolspring.com/job.cfm?jid=3377936

The remote learning support positions will support students' learning and development in grades 1-2 remotely. The staff member will work closely with the classroom teachers and support faculty to identify students in need of support, develop plans to support those students, and implement those support plans. The staff member will work from the school building. The staff member may also be asked to assist with outside supervision during arrival and dismissal.
These positions start October 19, 2020 through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Work schedule to be coordinated with Building Administration (M, T, TH, F; 3 hours per day, 12 hours per week). The hourly rate is $19.31 to 22.55 depending on experience.

• Position Type: Part-time
• Positions Available: 3

October 1, 2020 Update

 Dear Parents and Families,

To begin with I would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our schools. The students are complying with all of the rules and regulations both when in remote and in person and wearing masks, physically distancing, and washing their hands as needed. Students and staff are staying home when sick, or for related reasons, out of an abundance of caution. And everyone continues to complete our daily health screener which is providing us with additional information to keep our buildings safe.

Earlier this summer Massachusetts released the COVID-19 Community-Level Data Map which reflects the average daily cases of COVID-19 per 100,000: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/community-level-covid-19-data-reporting

As you may be aware, the town of North Reading has recently moved into the “yellow” on this map based upon some recent cases. As you can imagine, with a population the size of North Reading it does not take many cases to move into the yellow or the red and for the relative change in case count to be designated as “higher.” At this time the two week case count for North Reading  is ten (10) and the average daily incident rate is 4.32%.

The District believes that this is an important time to remind everyone how important it is to maintain the best practices and habits we have been practicing in order to remain safe. Although we continue to “open up” as a state, COVID-19 is still a reality and it is as important now as ever to be vigilant in taking safety precautions in order for our schools and other buildings to remain open.

It is also important to recognize that North Reading moving into the “red” would not necessarily mean that all schools will be closed. The average daily case data is very important to inform the frequent conversations that I am having with the Health Director, Public Health Nurse, the Town Administrator, and our Police and Fire Chief to make the best decisions for our town and schools. For example, the recent outbreak at Merrimack College did not present an "increased risk of transmission to staff and students" for students in the K-12 North Andover schools and so the decision was made for those schools to remain open.

Similarly, in North Reading, we along with Health Department and public safety officials will continue to review the data and contact trace in order to determine whether there is "increased risk of transmission to staff and students.” When the students are in school they are masked, six feet apart, and washing their hands frequently. In some ways being in school may be the safest place for our students as they are monitored by the educators and administration and following all of our school rules and procedures related to COVID-19. Our Board of Health and Town Officials agree that if the schools are safe and there is not an increased risk of transmission then it is best for our schools to remain open.

Our school nurses will continue to work with North Reading’s Public Health Nurse to determine these risks and to help inform our decisions. If North Reading’s average daily rate were to lead us into the “red” I would communicate with the school community about what this means for our schools at that particular point in time based on the specific information that we have available. We may need to have a “remote day” while we determine a longer term decision. We may need to switch to full remote for some or all of our students. We may also be able to remain open, as we have determined that there is not an increased risk at that time.

Of course, if there is an outbreak of positive cases at a school or within the district there may be a need to close one or more schools even if the town as a whole is not in the “red.” In the event of a positive case of a student or a staff member all parents, families, and staff will be notified through email communication while those in close contact will be notified of the additional steps that need to be taken to quarantine. 

Our nurses are doing a fantastic job of reviewing the daily health screeners and also making the determinations to ask students who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to be dismissed and/or to remain home until they meet the benchmarks established by the Department of Public Health and The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please continue to support our nurses and understand that having students stay home when potentially ill and exhibiting symptoms is a necessary step to help all of our schools remain open.

As always, thank you for your continued support and patience in these challenging times.

Be well,

Dr. Daly

September 25, 2020 Update

 

Dear North Reading Parents and Families,

 

Thank you all for your support during our first full week of school and for your patience as we worked out some of the kinks to the schedules and adjusted between cohorts. From the feedback I have received things seem to be going very well.

A few items for your attention.

1. October 9, 2020 will be a full day of school. This was originally listed as a 1/2 day TBD and we have decided that with the later start to the year it is in the best interest of students and staff to have a full day on October 9th. Our full day Professional Development day for teachers on November 3rd will remain on the calendar as a no school day for students and we will continue to review the upcoming 1/2 days in the future.

2. Below you will find a list of additional school influenza clinics. Thank you to Mr. Bracey and our Town Health Department for making these arrangements. Please note that here are additional clinics listed for the community and parents can always make appointments at CVS, Walmart and Walgreens at any time by visiting their respective website to preregister.

October 21^st:

October 22^nd:  

October 23^rd:

 

3. Attached to this document are the most recent Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance for protocols to respond to COVID-19 Scenarios. This was a part of the reopening plan but it is important for you to be able to review this again as it has been recently updated. Please continue to complete our Daily Health Screener and reach out to our nurses with any questions prior to returning to the bus or school.

The quick reference chart below should be helpful when deciding the steps that need to be taken when staff or students are experiencing symptoms. 

	Individual is Symptomic
	Location of Event	Testing Result	Quarantine
	If an individual is symptomatic at home, they should stay home and get tested.   If an individual student is symptomatic on the bus or at school, they should remain masked and adhere to strict physical distancing. Students will then be met by the nurse and stay in the medical waiting room until they can go home. They should not be sent home on the bus. If an individual staff member is symptomatic at school, they should find coverage for their duties and then go home and get tested.	Individual tests negative	Return to school once 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in symptoms, without the use of fever reducing medications.
		Individual tests positive	Remain home (except to get medical care), monitor symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from local board of health or MA Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in other symptoms.
		Individual is not tested	Remain home in self-isolation for 10 days from symptom onset, then return once 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in symptoms, without the use of fever reducing medications.
	Individual is exposed to COVID-19 positive individual (close contact)
	If an individual is at home when they learn they were in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, they should stay at home and be tested 4 or 5 days after their last exposure.   If an individual is at school when they learn they were in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, they should be masked for the remainder of the day (including K-1 students) and adhere to strict physical distancing. At the end of the day, they should go home and should not take the bus home. They should stay at home and be tested 4 or 5 days after their last exposure.	Individual tests negative	Remain home in self-quarantine for 14 days from exposure
		Individual tests positive	Remain home (except to get medical care), monitor symptoms, notify the school, notify personal close contacts, assist the school in contact tracing efforts, and answer the call from local board of health or MA Community Tracing Collaborative. Most people who have relatively mild illness will need to stay in self-isolation for at least 10 days and until at least 24 hours have passed with no fever and improvement in symptoms, without the use of fever reducing medications.
		Individual is not tested	Remain home in self-quarantine for 14 days from exposure

 

Thank you,

Dr. Daly