The holidays led to a surge in COVID-19 cases, with the omicron variant responsible for the majority of infections. However, it’s still business as usual as far as the region’s public schools are concerned.
While the highly-transmissible variant took advantage of large crowds and close-proximity gatherings during the late December holidays, school districts on the North Shore are preparing for a year filled with in-person learning. While mask guidelines, COVID testing, and other protocols remain in place for students and staff, it’s safe to say that parents with school-aged children should expect to wake their kids up for school at the normal time now that winter break is over.
LYNN
Lynn students returned to in-person learning on Monday following the winter break.
School staff were able to pick up free COVID-19 tests on Sunday, the day before returning to school, and again on Monday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the district’s administration offices on Bennett Street.
Staff were also given KN95 masks in the schools on Monday.
“I think we approached our return with all of the appropriate caution and attention to safety for students and staff, but also keeping in mind that the most optimal learning approach for students is in person,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.
Tutwiler said that Lynn, and other school districts across the state, are required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to adhere to in-person learning this school year. However, he has followed news in other states, where districts have opted to conduct instruction remotely this week.
“We felt confident that we were in a good place to provide an in-person experience to students today, Jan. 3, and beyond,” said Tutwiler. “The plan is to stay in person.”
While classes proceeded in a traditional fashion on Monday, Tutwiler said attendance was low across the district, with some parents opting to keep their students home due to health and safety concerns. The attendance rate was 73 percent, which is low, Tutwiler said, explaining that the average daily attendance rate is 95 percent and in the low 90-percent range at the elementary and secondary levels, respectively.
“It is certainly not what we want, in terms of the percentage of students attending on any given day,” said Tutwiler. “There are fears and concerns about health and safety and parents decide what they feel is best for their students and I completely understand that.”
Tutwiler said he expects attendance to continue to grow in the coming days. He said he visited five schools on Monday, and he could say with confidence that the first day of school after the holiday break was a good day.
“Kids are showing up and they’re actually learning and having a good day, and we can’t let that get lost,” he said.
LYNNFIELD
All four schools reopened to in-person learning in Lynnfield on Monday.
“We are in great shape to start the year — just more of the same,” said Superintendent of Schools Kristen Vogel.
Vogel said 270 test kits were distributed to staff members on Sunday, which she said will help the district stay on top of things. She said that while the positivity rate in the town is high — at approximately 30 percent — the number of cases among school-aged children has “dipped down a little over the last few days.
“It was really high (during) the middle to end of last week, but the numbers have gone down a bit and at worst have leveled off somewhat.”
Vogel expects that the winter athletic season will pick up where it left off before the holiday break.
“We had a (boys) basketball game called off last week when Stoneham was missing some players, but that can happen anytime, so it’s really day to day,” Vogel said. “Overall, I have to say that the district is in very good shape as we begin the new year.”
MARBLEHEAD
Marblehead saw students return to its eight public schools on Monday to resume in-person learning.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Buckey said it is better for children to be in schools and school staffing has been holding steady.
“We are fortunate to have solid staffing,” said Buckey. “While COVID has presented some challenges in certain areas, it has not impacted full operations.”
Buckey notes that more than 350 COVID-19 tests were conducted with staff members and students on Sunday. He said that there has been no outbreak of COVID-19 in Marblehead Public Schools as of yet.
“We provided staff tests yesterday and I was impressed by the number of staff across the district who came out to participate,” he said. “We ramped up our pool testing with students today and will continue tomorrow.”
Buckey said the schools anticipate a possible increase in COVID-19 cases and will continue to monitor the situation.
“We will continue the robust mitigation measures we employ, which have served us well to date, and to closely monitor the situations in each of our buildings,” Buckey said. “We have an excellent team of administrators and teachers who put safety as our primary concern.”
NAHANT
Children returned to the Johnson Elementary School in Nahant on Monday and will be in person for the entirety of the week.
Nahant School Committee Chair Regina Laine credited the town’s strict protocols for keeping the school open.
“We’re involved in the routine-surveillance program where they do pool testing for COVID that families can opt in for, and they do contact tracing to identify any close contacts,” said Laine. “We’re lucky in Nahant to have so much space so the students can be adequately spaced and are able to do in-person learning consistently.”
PEABODY
Students enrolled in Peabody Public Schools will be learning in person for the foreseeable future.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Josh Vadala said the district has been anticipating surges in COVID-19 cases based on the city’s Health Department data. As of January 2022, the infection patterns look similar to numbers from a year prior.
“We’ve been following the shape of the (COVID-19 infection) graph and it looked similar to last year’s trajectory,” Vadala said.
Vadala added that the district projected there would be a surge after Thanksgiving, followed by a drop in case numbers, followed by a post-holiday surge, as this was the case in 2021. As a result, the district has provided COVID-19 testing after Thanksgiving and the December holidays. The most recent testing clinic was held on Saturday, Jan. 1 at Higgins Middle School. At-home test kits were also delivered within the district and to all city residents in December.
As for staff safety, Vadala reported that through a partnership with the Peabody Federation of Teachers (Local 1289), the district was able to distribute around 1,000 at-home test kits to faculty and staff on Sunday, Jan. 2 and Monday, Jan. 3. Additionally, a six-week supply of KN95 masks are now available to employees of Peabody Public Schools.
“We anticipated the surge and we’re mitigating its effects,” Vadala added. “We really want to give kids the opportunity to learn in person.”
REVERE
Students in Revere did not attend school on Monday, as the school originally scheduled Jan. 3 to be a day off.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dianne Kelly said the closing of 11 public schools had no connection to the rise of COVID-19 cases and that it was a coincidence. Kelly said that students will return to school in person on Tuesday with extensive testing for students and staff.
“We will be reopening tomorrow (Tuesday) and conducting a round of pooled testing first thing in the morning,” said Kelly.
Kelly said that of the 700 teachers in Revere Public Schools, only 25 teachers have notified the superintendent’s team that they will not be able to teach due to themselves, or a family member having COVID. Kelly said these numbers are manageable for Revere Public Schools and there will be coverage for absent teachers.
“Right now, the number of staff that have indicated they can’t work is manageable for us,” she said. “Hopefully, that remains the case.”
SALEM
Students in Salem returned to in-person learning on Monday following the winter break.
With support from city and state officials, Salem distributed COVID-19 test kits to every student and staff member in the district before the start of winter break.
“We asked that one test be taken before their largest gathering and one test on Sunday, Jan. 2 to return to school healthy,” said the district’s Chief of Public Relations Liz Polay-Wettengel. “In addition, we will continue with our weekly staff and student testing that is available to every staff member and student in the district.”
SAUGUS
Saugus students returned to class on Monday for in-person learning.
“Students and student-facing faculty were issued rapid-test kits, and staff were supplied with KN95 masks,” said School Committee member Ryan Fisher.
Schools will remain open for the rest of the week.
Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon reiterated that the top priority of the city is to keep students safe.
“We know the next few weeks will be challenging as cases continue to rise across the state,” she said. “Our top priority is keeping staff and students safe and in school. The reality is that our students are on average, one to two years behind grade level and thus we have no time to waste. We know in-person learning is better emotionally and academically for our school communities, and we’ve seen our staff, students, families, and caregivers rise to this collective challenge.”
SWAMPSCOTT
Swampscott schools opened in person as planned on Monday, said Superintendent of Schools Pamela Angelakis.
The district arranged for its faculty and staff to pick up the rapid-antigen tests provided by DESE Sunday morning. The staff was asked to take the test before noon on Sunday so that the building principals could prepare for staffing for Monday in the event any staff members tested positive, said Angelakis.
“Some of our employees did in fact test positive, but it didn’t prohibit us (from) opening the schools as regularly scheduled,” said Angelakis.
The district plans to continue in-person learning, but is bringing back some previous mitigations. For example, additional lunch periods will be added to the student’s schedules to further distance students while they are eating.
The high school has reinstated open campus for lunch, said Angelakis. Students can utilize both the cafeteria and auditorium if they wish to remain in the building for lunch.
The district has also communicated to the parents that it needs their help to stay open for in-person learning.
“With the highly contagious omicron variant, it is critical that you do not send your student(s) to school if they have symptoms of any kind,” the update stated.
Students at all levels are required to wear their own masks at school, as the district only has enough masks to supply to students in case of an emergency but not on a daily basis.
“We ask for your patience as we continue to navigate this new surge with the hope that it is only temporary,” the update said.
Item writers Adam Bass, Gayla Cawley, Allysha Dunnigan, Alena Kuzub, Sam Minton, Anne Marie Tobin, and Sophie Yarin contributed to this report.
