Superintendent's Blog: Friday Update 5/21/21

Friday Update May 21, 2021

Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Partners,

I hope that this week has been a positive one for you and yours. I will share this weekly update with staff members and the school board at noon. This afternoon it will be Robo-messaged by Dr. Dave Fournier to families and posted on the district website and my blog.

Pandemic Update - We held vaccination clinics at Troy Howard Middle School and Belfast Area High School this week. Medical staff members from PCHC were on hand to do the inoculations and monitor student reactions. At THMS, 81 vaccinations were administered, while at BAHS, 101 students were vaccinated. The process was extremely well-organized, and students experienced no adverse impacts. Many thanks to the Penobscot Community Health Center, who provided and administered the vaccine, along with providing medical personnel to monitor student well-being during and after the shot. The second dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be administered to the same students on June 7 and June 8.

Waldo County is Still GREEN - In today's color-coded risk level of community transmission from the Maine CDC, community transmission continues to be designated low-risk. Our schools are considered suitable for in-person instruction. Since the pandemic began, there has been no disease transmission in any of our schools and locations.

At the Kermit Nickerson School, there have been no positive coronavirus cases in any students or staff members associated with the school.
At East Belfast, there have been 2 students and zero adults who have tested positive.
At Ames - 1 positive student
Weymouth - 1 positive student
CASS - 3 students, 1 staff member
THMS - 11 students, 1 staff
BAHS/BCOPE - 11 students, 3 adults
Central Office - no cases
Adult Ed - no cases
Bus Garage - no cases

Required Safety Protocols - The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has changed its guidance regarding wearing masks and social distancing. Maine CDC follows suit, though school safety protocols in public schools have not yet been lifted or changed.

Pool Testing - In the new school year 2021 - 2022, we will be able to lift the safety requirement that all students must maintain three feet of social distance apart from one another if thirty percent of our school population participates in "pool testing." I will soon share more information about what pool testing would entail. We know that we want to welcome back all our remote and homeschool students in the fall and have BAHS be open for in-person instruction for all students every day of the week. Pool testing could enable us to do that. On Monday, we will be applying for American Recovery Act funds to hire a Pool Testing Nurse Coordinator for the 2021 - 2022 school year. We will be surveying families in early June to gather information about this past year, including parent-guardian thoughts about in-person learning in the coming school year. The RSU 71 Task Force to Safely Reopen Schools has reconvened to share thoughts, and the RSU 71 School Board will discuss plans for next year at the first meeting in June. Stay tuned!

Troy Howard Middle School - Staff and students have received guidance and support to help manage the blow to our community caused by the death of an eighth-grade student last week. She was new to our district this year, so we focus much of this support on eighth-grade students and staff. Other Maine school districts where the student had been to school are also absorbing the impact of this loss. The medical examiner has not yet officially identified the cause of death. We have had daily Crisis Team meetings, staff meetings, and check-in and support for eighth-grade students and staff in particular. A Parent Night (optional) has been scheduled for an evening next week on Wednesday, May 26 at 6:00 pm on ZOOM; Greg Marley from NAMI Maine (National Association for Medical Illness) will be on hand to share information about helping students experiencing a tragic loss. Visiting hours were yesterday at the Riposta Funeral Home, and teachers did a great job covering for one another. Administrators and counselors from other RSU 71 schools pitched in, for which we are grateful. Parents of students who wished to attend accompanied their children to the event, and we are also grateful for that assistance.

Congratulations - Congratulations to BCOPE teacher Lindsey Schortz, selected as the 2021 Alternative Educator of the Year! We are so proud of Lindsey, her students, and other BCOPE staff members. As BAHS Assistant Principal Colden Golann has said, "what separates Linsey is her commitment to her students. She will stop at nothing to support kids and help them overcome the obstacles they are facing. Last year during school closures, Lindsey took it upon herself to visit any student who was not participating and often taught individualized lessons in driveways or on breaks from students' jobs." Students describe Ms. Schortz as "kind and caring. She is very passionate about what she does. She has always been my go-to person whenever something exciting happens. She is always so thrilled for our achievements, no matter how big or how small."

In the News -