Important update

Dear Parents/Guardians: I am writing to provide you with an update regarding this week’s Department of Public Health COVID-19 Public Health Report. This report provides metrics which guide decisions as to whether schools should utilize the hybrid or remote learning models. Color-coded indications are posted for each municipality calculated on a rolling two-week basis. Red designates communities with more than 8 cases per 100,000 residents. Yellow designates communities that have between 4 and 8 cases per 100,000 residents. Green designates communities that have 4 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents. Unshaded designates communities with small populations and fewer than 5 cases in the last 14 days. Many municipalities, including Monson, have fallen in and out of the “red” and or “yellow” designations. For the past two weeks, Monson has been “yellow.” Today, however, we have moved into the “red” designation. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has advised that school districts wait for color changes in either direction in three consecutive weekly reports before considering a change to an instructional model. Additionally, they recommend using all available information regarding trends and other metrics when making decisions. I have proposed to the School Committee that we also meet the following criteria if we are designated “red”: · Case Count of the last 14 days is 15 or less (15 cases = .18% of the townspeople) · Percent Positivity of the last 14 days is 2.5% or lower (half of the State recommendation) Today, because we fell below both criteria (case count of 10 and percent positivity of 2.04) and it is week one of a red designation, we will remain open as we currently are operating. Our athletic teams will continue to practice and play as allowed. It has been wonderful having our students in the buildings this week! They have done an excellent job of keeping their masks on and observing social distancing. All of the protocols and procedures we put in place are ensuring the maximum health and safety of everyone in our school community. We will continue to keep you updated as necessary, but in the meantime, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Sincerely, Cheryl Clarke