School Reopening

I support the reopening of schools this spring if we are able to do so in a way that is safe for students and teachers alike. Vaccines, surveillance testing, and a host of other strategies are now available to us, and we know from new research that they are effective against the spread of the coronavirus in schools if transmission rates remain low in the community.

Throughout this pandemic, the school committee’s goal has been to give students the best opportunity for learning possible. In the Fall, the school committee implemented mitigation strategies to make interactions in buildings safer by ensuring the proper air exchange in classrooms, updating cleaning protocols, cohorting students, and developing policies specific to the pandemic. Teachers diligently prepared a remote learning environment. We must build upon this work and learn from our missteps to serve our students in-schools and online in the future.