Concord Middle School and Heatwave

June 4, 2021

Dear Families:

This message is for the families of Concord Middle School since we are fortunate to have air conditioning in all of the other schools.  I am including everyone in order to avoid any confusion.

As you have likely seen, a heatwave looks to be headed for us for the first part of next week.  COVID protocols require that we remain in masks indoors, prevent the use of fans blowing toward staff and students, and restrict drinking less than 6′ apart.  Given the challenges this could bring, I am planning ahead to let you know what the options are.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education made clear to us this afternoon that a remote learning day is not an option.  We can reduce the day to a half-day schedule but if we close, the day will need to be made up.   Given that we are all ready for summer break, I am not considering school closure.

I will continue to review the forecast and conditions in the two middle school buildings to decide if we will have a full day or half-day during these high temperatures.

For CMS fully remote families, the heat may lead to more asynchronous work than usual as classrooms relocate under a tent or in the shade outdoors.

I will decide each day’s plan by 7 pm the night before to allow for time to plan.  Again, this will only pertain to Concord Middle School.  All of the other schools will operate normally next week.

I had personally hoped we were going to cruise to the finish line but, as has happened all year, that does not seem to be the case!

Best,

Laurie