December 2, 2020
Dear Families:
I want to share two new student COVID cases today. One student attends Peabody and the other attends Willard. Both students have not been in school while they were contagious. This usually occurs as a result of the quarantine and safety protocols. Students may be in quarantine when deemed a close contact or become symptomatic and stay home from school. The other variable is the school calendar and hybrid schedules where students are not in school five days every week. The testing process also complicates the timelines since the Thanksgiving holiday has had an impact on testing availability and turnaround time. Every situation is different so we work in conjunction with the public health nurse and family.
The district COVID dashboard is updated daily now to reflect 9 (8 students, 1 adult) cases so far this week and a total of 29 since we reopened. Given the current pace, it seems likely that we will see new positive cases regularly. I share reminders of safety practices like masks, distancing, and avoiding groups in addition to a strong statement that no one wants to get the virus and we are going to be a supportive environment to everyone in our schools.
I look forward to sharing more information at the webinar on Friday afternoon.
Finally, we believe the issues with the symptom screener are a result of a Chrome update. Our IT department offers suggestions below to troubleshoot the issue.
Have a great night.
Best,
Laurie
Aspen Screener and Chrome
Clear Chrome browser cache as far back as possible
Log out of Aspen explicitly. Close the tab then log back into Aspen in a new tab and try the screener again.
If the above steps do not work, restart the device and log into Aspen and try the screener again.
If all else fails, try a different browser to access Aspen.
December 1, 2020
Dear Families:
Over the past few hours we were notified of 3 positive student COVID cases in 3 buildings: Willard, Peabody, and Sanborn. While the cases are not directly related, none of the children have been in school for an extended period of time. As a result, there are no close contacts or school-related actions to take.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns. We continue to be grateful for the cooperation and communication.
Best,
Laurie
December 1, 2020
Dear Families:
Thank you to so many who complied with the Governor’s travel order. I write to remind everyone again that, in most instances, travel outside of Massachusetts requires testing and quarantine until the negative PCR test is received. Students may not attend in-person learning until the test result is provided to us. Several questions came up this weekend that I want to clarify:
- At the local level, we are requiring that all children be tested. The order indicates that children below age 10 do not need to be tested. In order to return to in-person instruction, we need a negative test for students of all ages.
- We realize that second homes are often located out of state. Although you may travel and stay there, the travel order pertains.
- The list of states changes frequently. Right now, all states except Hawaii are considered high risk. If you do decide to travel, it is important to monitor the list. At this point, restrictions could only loosen which may be helpful to you.
- Remember that most states have their own travel restrictions requiring quarantine when you arrive. It is just as important to those states that you comply as it is to us.
- If you do not comply with the order and we become aware, we will call you and ask that your children be removed from school immediately. Please do not put them or us in that position.
- The travel orderrequires that you complete a form which is then made available to local health officials.
- These measures are inconvenient. Travel is not recommended by all major health organizations and can further the spread of the virus.
Again, we are very grateful for the very high level of cooperation. It will be important for this level of vigilance to continue as we make our way through the winter months and higher virus rates for the safety of our staff, families, and community.
Best,
Laurie
