June 1, 2022 NRPS Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I'm writing today with a few important announcements about upcoming events and information.

K-12 Action Team

On June 9, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. in the Distance Learning Lab at the MS/HS we will be holding a meeting for the K-12 action team. This group, which will meet 3-4 times per school year, will be the umbrella group that oversees many of the subcommittees who will focus on Bullying Prevention and Intervention; Health and Wellness; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Social Emotional Learning, and more. If you are interested in attending or learning more about any of the various subgroups please complete this form:  https://forms.gle/2YbBPzEKQ1i8sVjB7

NRPS 2025 Update

In the coming weeks we will be sharing the draft for public comment and feedback of the district's updated strategy for improvement: NRPS 2025. We plan to present this draft at the meeting of the North Reading School Committee on June 13, 2022 as well. The elements of our strategy, including the three "big rocks" of Teaching & Learning, Student Support Services, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are all based upon stakeholder feedback and input from the visioning process from last spring.

We will also share out some additional resources and FAQs from the recent DEI forum in the very near future as well.

Recognition and Celebration of Heritage Months

As an action item under Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion our district will do more to promote and celebrate the established heritage months and share more information about holidays and events. We hope to share more information about Black History, Women's History, Disability Awareness, Irish-American, Italian-American, Latino-Hispanic, Asian-Pacific-American, Jewish-American, American Indian, and other groups.

This month we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month and have shared information on our community bulletin board about a local event on June 12, 2022. Those seeking additional information about the history of the LGBTQ+ movement will find more articles here. 

On June 11, 1999 President Clinton issued a proclamation that designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride month and encouraged "all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate our diversity..."

Juneteenth Celebration

On June 20, 2022 our schools will be closed in recognition of Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth) which became a federal holiday last year and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. More information about the history of Juneteenth can be found here and it may be a helpful resource to share with your children just as we share the importance of Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Independence Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day as well as other significant holidays in our calendar.

As we continue to strengthen our supportive culture of belonging I felt it was important to share this information and these resources with our parents, families, and caregivers. We look forward to having many stakeholders participate on June 9th in our subcommittee work and to also provide us feedback on our strategic plan when it is shared in the coming weeks.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

COVID Protocols Update

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

This week the Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education updated the isolation and quarantine guidance and protocols. Full details can be found here.

Isolation and quarantine guidance and protocols

Guidance for Children in Child Care, K-12, OST, and Recreational Camp Settings:

• Quarantine for asymptomatic exposed children, regardless of where the exposure occurred, is no longer required for these settings. Children who are identified as close contacts may continue to attend programming as long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10. A test on Days 2 and 5 is recommended, but not required.
• Children who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5, provided:
  • If the child is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.
  • If the child is unable to mask, they must have a negative test on Day 5 or later in order to return to programming prior to day 11.
• Symptomatic children can remain in their school or program if they are tested immediately onsite, and that test is negative. Best practice would also include wearing a mask, if possible, until symptoms are fully resolved.
  • If the symptomatic child cannot be tested immediately, they should be sent home and allowed to return to their program or school if they test negative, or they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms have resolved, or if a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis. A negative test is strongly recommended for return if the latter two conditions are met. 

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-quarantine-guidance-for-children-in-child-care-k-12-out-of-school-time-ost-and-recreational-campprogram-settings

While we have certainly seen an uptick in cases in the month of May our most recent data is reflective of a downward trend in positive cases. Please review the dashboard for more detailed information. 

Have a great weekend and Memorial Day.

Dr. Daly

February 3, 2022 Update

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I’m writing today to provide a few updates related to COVID-19 and our schools.

COVID-19 Cases and Testing Updates

For cases reported in the month of January, which includes those positive cases from December 23, 2021 through January 31, 2022, we have a total of 539 cases, including 457 students and 82 staff positive cases. For February we have 25 students and 1 staff positive cases.

Please review the dashboard for school-based updates and additional information.

COVID-19 Testing Updates

Today is the first day of our at-home testing program for students and the second day for staff. Beginning tomorrow our nurses will transition away from contact tracing and the test and stay program and focus their attention on symptomatic and positive cases only. Those who are close contacts for outside of school will continue to follow Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines.

We will continue to accept new opt-in applications for the “at-home” testing program. If you are interested in adding your child(ren) to the “at-home” testing program please complete this form (students only) for inclusion in the next distribution cycle. At-home participants will take a test weekly on Thursday and report only positive results to the school.

Our pooled testing programs will also continue on Monday (Hood/Little) and Tuesday (Batchelder/MS/HS) each week.

DESE Mask Mandate Update

At the most recent meeting of the North Reading School Committee we heard from parents who were concerned about the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) mask mandate and we addressed several questions related to this requirement. As a reminder, this mask requirement from DESE is not optional for districts to choose to implement.

The current mandate extends through February 28, 2022 but the district does have the ability to apply for a waiver for any school that meets a threshold of an 80% vaccination rate.

As a reminder, the middle/high school is considered one campus for this purpose, and the middle school would be at least at 75% when viewed independently within a campus that is overall above 80%.

At this time our middle/high school is very close to the 80% threshold and I will be applying for this waiver as soon as this is possible and will then present this recommendation to the School Committee and notify our local Board of Health.

I will keep parents, guardians, and caregivers as well as students and staff informed of these steps as well. As clarified at our School Committee meeting, the recommendation for that school(s) would be aligned with the updated DESE language that would make mask wearing a choice:

 "If a school demonstrates a vaccination rate of 80 percent or more of all students and staff in the school through an attestation form submitted to DESE, then vaccinated individuals in that school would no longer be subject to the mask requirement. In alignment with statewide guidance, unvaccinated students and staff are highly recommended to continue wearing masks."

I certainly recognize and appreciate the concerns that have been shared with our School Committee about mask wearing from those on both sides of the discussion and we do hope that it will be safe enough to allow mask wearing to be a choice when the data are reviewed in late February (and sooner for the MS/HS campus if we hit the 80% threshold prior to February 28, 2022).

In addition, I would also like to share the updates from the Centers for Disease Control that now includes recommendations for well-fitting masks, including KN95 and N95 masks. There are no longer supply shortages and there are reports that the federal government will be providing free distribution of these masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, specifically recognizing the recommended changes in light of the omicron variant.

Thank you to everyone in our school community, including students, families, administrators, educators, staff and nurses, for their continued efforts to keep everyone safe!

Thank you,

​Dr. Daly

January 19, 2022 Update

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I’m writing today to provide a few updates related to COVID-19 and our schools.

COVID-19 Testing Updates

Yesterday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced a new testing program that would allow districts to provide weekly at-home testing kits to those staff and students who opt into this program. Districts who participate would also continue symptomatic and/or pooled testing (we would plan to continue with both options) and would no longer contact trace or provide test and stay testing options (as the at-home tests would serve this purpose).

There are many reasons for these changes, including the recent uptick in cases across the state and the need for all nurses to focus on providing support to those who are positive and the availability of at-home tests for everyone who desires to participate. The district will certainly be exploring this option that would begin later this month. I will share more information on this process as it becomes available.

Mask Requirements

I have received a few messages this week from parents who are concerned about the extension of the DESE Mask Mandate that I communicated in my message last week that now continues through February 28, 2022. As I expressed to those concerned parents I do not believe that this mandate will continue indefinitely but I with the recent high number of positive cases I do understand why DESE needed to continue this extension.

I certainly recognize and appreciate the concerns that have been shared with our School Committee about mask wearing for our students and we do hope that it will be safe enough to allow mask wearing to be a choice when the data are reviewed in late February.

As a reminder, this mask requirement from DESE is not optional for districts to implement. There is currently the ability to apply for a waiver based upon a vaccination threshold of 80% for a school building. Currently none of our buildings meet that 80% threshold for staff and students.

In addition, I would also like to share the updates from the Centers for Disease Control that now includes recommendations for well-fitting masks, including KN95 and N95 masks. There are no longer supply shortages and there are reports that the federal government will be providing free distribution of these masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, specifically recognizing the recommended changes in light of the omicron variant.

From CDC:

“Masking is a critical public health tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it is important to remember that any mask is better than no mask. To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, CDC continues to recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.”

COVID-19 Cases

For cases reported in the month of January, which includes those positive cases from December 23, 2021 through January 19, 2022, we have a total of 431 cases, including 361 students and 70 staff positive cases.

Please review the dashboard for school-based updates and additional information.

Due to the high number of positive cases and the evolving guidance for isolation and quarantine our nurses are focusing their attention on providing support to the positive students and staff and those close contacts who need to quarantine or participate in test and stay (those who are fully vaccinated or who are at least three feet apart and masked do not need to quarantine or participate in test and stay).

All other individuals should follow the same recommendations as if they were close contacts. This means:

If you or your child is exhibiting ONE of the following symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19:

·       *Fever (100.0 Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills*

·       *Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath*

·       *New loss of taste or smell*

·       *Muscle aches or body aches*

Or TWO or more of the following symptoms:

·       *Cough (not due not other known cause, such as chronic cough)

·       *Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Headache when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Please see the school nurse, a medical professional, or consider taking a COVID-19 PCR or COVID-19 rapid antigen test.

Thank you,

​Dr. Daly

January 10, 2022 Update

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

Tomorrow looks to be very cold so please take all necessary precautions and continue bundling up and staying warm!

COVID-19 Updates

Earlier today the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) extended the mask mandate for schools through February 28, 2022. More information on this update can be found here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/2022-0110mask-requirement-extension.pdf

DESE also released updated FAQs related to COVID-19 that have been attached to this message. The North Reading Public Schools continue to provide as much distance as feasible during snack and lunch in order to prevent transmission. We continue to offer thorough cleanings of all buildings and 

For cases reported in the month of January, which includes those positive cases from December 23, 2021 through January 5, 2022, we have a total of 315 cases, including 261 students and 54 staff positive cases.

Please review the dashboard for school-based updates and additional information.

Due to the high number of positive cases and the evolving guidance for isolation and quarantine our nurses are focusing their attention on providing support to the positive students and staff and those close contacts who need to quarantine or participate in test and stay (those who are fully vaccinated or who are at least three feet apart and masked do not need to quarantine or participate in test and stay).

All other individuals should follow the same recommendations as if they were close contacts. This means:

If you or your child is exhibiting ONE of the following symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19:

·       *Fever (100.0 Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills*

·       *Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath*

·       *New loss of taste or smell*

·       *Muscle aches or body aches*

Or TWO or more of the following symptoms:

·       *Cough (not due not other known cause, such as chronic cough)

·       *Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Headache when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Please see the school nurse, a medical professional, or consider taking a COVID-19 PCR or COVID-19 rapid antigen test.

Thank you, stay warm, and be well.

​Dr. Daly

January 5, 2022 Update

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I'm writing today to provide some important updates on our COVID-19 cases and our schools.

Our first priority is keeping our students and staff safe and in person for school. Our educators and administrators have worked so hard to maintain class coverage this week even as our positive cases increase. Despite the rising numbers we have been able to remain open and if there is a need to close a school this will be made on a school-by-school basis if there are not enough staff members to open a building safely.

These next few weeks will be challenging but we are confident that we will be able to work together to meet these challenges as a school community.

Thank you to our school nurses who have been working with so many individuals each day and providing support, information, and answers to questions as each new scenario unfolds.

Data and Dashboard

For cases reported in the month of January, which includes those positive cases from December 23, 2021 through January 5, 2022, we have a total of 186 cases, including 151 students and 35 staff positive cases.

Please review the dashboard for specific updates and additional information.

Due to the high number of positive cases and the evolving guidance for isolation and quarantine our nurses are focusing their attention on providing support to the positive students and staff and those close contacts who need to quarantine or participate in test and stay (those who are fully vaccinated or who are at least three feet apart and masked do not need to quarantine or participate in test and stay).

All other individuals should follow the same recommendations as if they were close contacts. This means:

If you or your child is exhibiting ONE of the following symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19:

·       *Fever (100.0 Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills*

·       *Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath*

·       *New loss of taste or smell*

·       *Muscle aches or body aches*

Or TWO or more of the following symptoms:

·       *Cough (not due not other known cause, such as chronic cough)

·       *Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms

·      *Headache when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms

·       *Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Please see the school nurse, a medical professional, or consider taking a COVID-19 PCR or COVID-19 rapid antigen test.

In the coming days we anticipate additional FAQs from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education who will be responding to the updates and guidance from the CDC. I will share that information as it becomes available.

Please stay safe and be well,

Dr. Daly

December 23, 2021 Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and well-deserved holiday break!

As we head into the new year, a few reminders…

• With many people taking at home tests we anticipate many questions as we return to school. If you have any doubts about whether you are cleared to return or if you have any symptoms, please remain on home on January 3^rd and work with the school nurses to determine the best course of action.
• Everyone should continue to complete the Daily Health Screener each day.
• This year we have had hundreds of students remain in school because of the test and stay program. If you would like to participate in test and stay please be sure to complete the CIC Form.
• If you would like to participate in routine pooled testing and are not already enrolled, please complete both the CIC form and the NR form. Every submission prior to December 31^st will be included in the new year (You do not need to re-enroll if you are currently participating).

Data and Dashboard

For the month of December, through today, we have 93 students and 17 staff positive cases. Please review the dashboard for updates and additional information.

Our Nurses continue to do an unbelievable job at supporting our students and providing the test and stay option. Hundreds of students have been able to remain in school because of the test and stay procedures that we have in place this year.

As we gather and travel this holiday season it is important to be mindful of this important information while we find ways to safely share in the joys of the season with our family and friends.

Please stay safe and be well,

Dr. Daly