SWAMPSCOTT — In response to COVID-related staffing issues, Swampscott High School has gone remote for the week leading up to Christmas break.
“We went remote because staffing was down as a result of secondary and tertiary contact with individuals infected with COVID, and people quarantining because of that,” said Swampscott Superintendent Pamela Angelakis. “We didn’t have enough substitutes to staff the classes.”
She said the decision was more a result of these sorts of staffing issues than particular cases of COVID-19 in the schools.
Angelakis didn’t provide any information about staff and students who had contracted the virus, though she said that she would soon release an online tool to keep students, parents and staff informed about cases in schools.
“We are hoping to put a data dashboard about student and staff contact with the virus,” she said.
Like other North Shore communities, Swampscott has been hit with a post-Thanksgiving spike in COVID-19 cases.
Swampscott Public Schools began its hybrid learning model on Oct. 26.
Under this model, each grade level has two cohorts of students attending school on different schedules to allow for appropriate social distancing. One cohort attends school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays while the other attends on Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays are fully remote.
According to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines, Swampscott Public Schools would be required to revert to the remote learning model if its community was classified in the red category for three weeks in a row. Despite the recent spike, Swampscott is still not considered a red community, according to information released by the Massachusetts Department of Health.
Angelakis hopes that they can return to this hybrid learning model after the holidays are over.
“It’s a challenge trying to adhere to safety guidelines,” said Angelakis. “But we’re all trying to make sure that our kids get the best education possible under the current circumstances.”
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @g_scrimgeour.
