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COVID-19: Western Mass School District Implements Staggered Return To Class COVID-19: Western Mass School District Implements Staggered Return To Class
Covid-19: Western Mass School District Implements Staggered Return To Class A school district in Western Massachusetts is taking a unique approach to reopening classes to students amid the latest rise in COVID-19 infections. In Hampshire County, the Northampton School District announced that it will be staggering the return to classes for students to allow for the start of pool testing. According to district officials, Northampton High School and JFK middle schools will be open as planned on Monday, Jan. 3 and pool testing will be conducted. Bridge Street, Jackson Street, Leeds, and Ryan Road elementary schools will not be in session on Dec. 3 and will reopen on …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: 'Omicron's A Different Animal,' Says Expert, Sounding Alarm Over In-Person Learning COVID-19: 'Omicron's A Different Animal,' Says Expert, Sounding Alarm Over In-Person Learning
Covid-19: 'Omicron's A Different Animal,' Says Expert, Sounding Alarm Over In-Person Learning A pediatrician who is an expert on disease and vaccine development is sounding the alarm about the ability of schools to resume in-person learning during the height of the new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked by a surge of cases from the highly contagious Omicron variant. Connecticut native Dr. Peter Hotez is the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. "Here's the problem," Hotez said in an interview on MSNBC Wednesday morning, Dec. 29. "We're kind of going off ol…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
High School In Western Mass Goes Remote After Substance Found On Walls High School In Western Mass Goes Remote After Substance Found On Walls
High School In Western Mass Goes Remote After Substance Found On Walls A high school was forced to alter its reopening plan after a suspicious substance was found growing on the walls and furniture inside the building in Western Massachusetts. South Hadley Schools Superintendent Jahmal Mosley issued a letter to the community in Hampshire County this week advising that “a black/white” substance was located inside the building, prompting them to open the year remotely. Mosely said that the district called in Fermata Home Services to assist, which took samples of the substance and sent them to a lab for testing. It is unclear when the test results will be avail…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: American Federation Of Teachers President Calls For Full School Reopenings In Fall COVID-19: American Federation Of Teachers President Calls For Full School Reopenings In Fall
Covid-19: American Federation Of Teachers President Calls For Full School Reopenings In Fall The head of the second-largest teachers union in the United States is calling on a full return to five-day-a-week in-person learning at all schools in the fall, declaring that her organization was “all-in.” In an address posted on social media, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers said that with more and more Americans becoming eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, it is imperative that schools fully reopen for students and staff during the next academic year. “Conditions have changed,” she said. "We can and we must reopen schools in the fall for in-person te…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Social Distancing For Students COVID-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Social Distancing For Students
Covid-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Social Distancing For Students The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidance on social distancing in schools. The agency announced late Friday morning, March 19 that students can sit 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet as long as they are wearing masks. The move will allow for more desks in classrooms and a more stable schedule for students. The new guidance, for K-12 students, includes all communities, regardless of whether the transmission rate is substantial, moderate, or low, according to the CDC. The announcement comes following a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disea…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: CDC Releases New Guidance, Strategies For Reopening Schools COVID-19: CDC Releases New Guidance, Strategies For Reopening Schools
Covid-19: CDC Releases New Guidance, Strategies For Reopening Schools The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging schools and school districts to reopen safely and has just released new guidance for doing just that. On Friday, Feb. 12, the CDC unveiled the new science-based plan. “It is critical for schools to open as safely and as soon as possible, and remain open, to achieve the benefits of in-person learning and key support services,” health officials said. “To enable schools to open safely and remain open, it is important to adopt and consistently implement actions to slow the spread of COVID in schools and in the community.” The…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: New Studies Shed Light On Connection Between Reopening Schools, Virus Cases COVID-19: New Studies Shed Light On Connection Between Reopening Schools, Virus Cases
Covid-19: New Studies Shed Light On Connection Between Reopening Schools, Virus Cases Despite a recent rise in COVID-19 cases across the nation in the past two months, there may not be as large a correlation between the new cases and schools reopening in the fall, according to newly released studies. International researchers found that there is no consistent relationship between the spread of the virus and the opening of in-person K-12 learning in a pair of newly released studies. According to NPR, a third study in the United States also found that there is no elevated risk of contracting COVID-19 for childcare workers who returned to the classroom. The report found that t…

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by Zak Failla
News
'Low Risk' Districts Have 10 Days To Justify Remote Back-To-School Plans 'Low Risk' Districts Have 10 Days To Justify Remote Back-To-School Plans
'Low Risk' Districts Have 10 Days To Justify Remote Back-To-School Plans Massachusetts is strongly encouraging about 15 school districts to put students back in the classroom. School districts in communities where the risk of COVID-19 infection is low should be offering in-class education, the state said. Low-risk districts that started the school year remotely, and do not have a firm date on when in-class education will begin received letters from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Friday, Sept. 18. The letters demand an explanation for the school district’s reopening plans within 10 days to justify full, or nearly full, remo…

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by Kristin Palpini
Schools
COVID-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Reopening Schools COVID-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Reopening Schools
Covid-19: CDC Issues New Guidance On Reopening Schools A host of new guidance on reopening schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic has just been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More detailed recommendations on selected topics the CDC had previously only provided a few sentences on have now been added. In the new guidelines, published Friday, Aug. 21, the CDC said it "does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools," but did not add a specific reason. Schools should develop an "emergency operations plan" for daily monitoring of COVID and res…

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by Joe Lombardi