SWAMPSCOTT — The School Committee has voted to change social distancing guidelines in district schools to three to six feet — down from the mandatory six — to allow more students into in-person learning.
The action, taken last Wednesday, will not immediately change the district’s hybrid learning model, as it will be up to Superintendent Pamela Angelakis to propose a plan to transition more students into classrooms.
“This is not flicking a light switch. It is not going to happen overnight,” Angelakis said in the meeting. “It’s something that is going to be phased.”
Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week a directive for all school districts in the state to have elementary school students back in-person five days a week by the first week in April. The School Committee’s decision will allow the town to move toward meeting this requirement.
The committee circulated a survey to district parents earlier this month to determine whether there was support for returning to in-person learning. Committee Chair Amy O’Connor said that 66 percent of responses were in support of returning to the classroom, with the highest need for doing so concentrated in the lower grades.
“This crisis is about more than COVID,” O’Connor said. “What we’re seeing as it relates to our kids is it’s more than about keeping them COVID-free, but about their health and welfare from an emotional, physical and mental standpoint.”
Dr. Cheryl D’Souza, physician for the district, said that communities that had made this change had so far had success, as children are less likely to contract the virus. She explained that three feet of social distancing has been shown to be sufficient for young children.
“We’re seeing very little student-to-student transmission, and we’re also not seeing those students getting truly ill,” D’Souza said.
According to the town’s Board of Health, 19.6 percent of lab-confirmed COVID cases in Swampscott have been individuals under the age of 18.
There was concern in the meeting that lessening social distancing requirements could endanger teachers, who are not eligible for the coronavirus vaccine unless, like other members of the public, they are over 65 or have two or more comorbidities. However, the decision by the committee will allow for the possibility of having adults in the classroom maintain six feet of distance, while young students can get closer together.
The superintendent’s plan for returning to school will also have to consider keeping six feet of distance between students when they eat lunch and snack, and will therefore be unmasked.
The committee will discuss next steps with the superintendent at their next meeting, to be held Wednesday, March 10.
Tréa Lavery can be reached at [email protected].
