NAHANT — Johnson Elementary School will not open its doors to the public yet.
The School Committee voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow access to the school for an after-school science-enrichment program, but stipulated that other programs must ask to use the facility; each request will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
“This might be a natural segue to allow parents to participate in activities in school,” said School Committee Chair Regina Laine.
This decision was made after a long discussion centered around whether the school should be open to programs beyond the school day; with the weather becoming colder, it’s more difficult for these programs to operate outside.
The after-school science-enrichment program currently takes place outside of the school. Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) member Erin Flaherty said that the program has had to be canceled multiple times due to poor weather conditions. Flaherty also told the committee that not having access to the bathrooms and water is extremely difficult.
Concerns raised by School Committee members included what kind of supervision there would be during these after-school hours at Johnson Elementary; members wanted to ensure that COVID-19 guidelines were being followed by volunteers and students.
“You don’t know if parents are going to comply with regulations, but it is a tight community and I think that if we were to allow other groups to come in with students from Johnson Elementary school … it would be under the understanding that they would have to comply with the guidelines of the Johnson School,” said Laine.
Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi and Johnson Elementary Principal Kevin Andrews both offered to volunteer their time to monitor these after-school events to ensure safety guidelines are being followed.
Committee member Beth Anderson said she felt each case would be different and thought that the best way to go about allowing programs and people into the facilities was for the committee to formally discuss each request.
“(It) seems like we should do a case-by-case basis at this point, and this program Mrs. Flaherty is talking about feels different than something new because this was already approved and happening and just needs to be expanded,” said Anderson.
Despite his offer to personally supervise these after-school programs, Pierantozzi said he was concerned about fully opening the school due to the pandemic. However, he cited positive health statistics that show there have only been four COVID cases in the town this month; none of those cases have been in connection with the elementary school, he said.
“We want to open up our community facility, but I would argue for a step-by-step slow process because we’ve been so successful so far,” said Pierantozzi
Committee member Michelle Dam said she felt the committee’s decision Tuesday night was important, in terms of how it will impact the future of after-school activities and sports at the school.
“I think we, as the School Committee, would want to see these types of things in place and we need to have more of a discussion with it,” said Dam.
Following Tuesday’s decision, those interested in using school facilities in Nahant will have to reach out to the School Committee for special permission until further notice.
Hannah Chadwick can be reached at [email protected].
