Superintendent's Letter
Monday, August 30, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, Families, and Community Members,
We are looking forward to welcoming all of our staff members and students back to school this Wednesday, September 1st!
Newsletter Topics:
Lebanon School District Back-to School Five Day In-Person Plan
K-12 Students and Staff voluntary COVID testing via Concentric (vendor)
Lebanon High School Track Fundraising Committee-Call for Volunteers
Lebanon School District Back-to-School Five Day In-Person Plan
On Wednesday, August 25th, the Lebanon School Board met to discuss the Fall 2021 Back-To-School Five Day In-Person Plan. Below is a summary of the approved Lebanon School District plan, which is based on Five-Day In-Person Learning.
Masks Required: Based on the current level of transmission in the Upper Valley being substantial; the number of fully vaccinated individuals in Lebanon and Grafton County; and to keep all students, families, staff members, visitors, and community members safe all Pre-kindergarten-12th grade students, staff members, and visitors are required to wear masks starting the first day of school, Wednesday, September 1st.
According to DPHS, the purpose of wearing a mask is two-fold:
1. To protect the person wearing the face mask, and
2. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 from the person wearing a face mask to others (i.e., “source control”)
Masks are not needed outside. We will revisit this decision if COVID transmission rates increase.
Where there may be increased risk of respiratory aerosol production; 8-10 feet of physical separation will be in place between individuals during group activities that involve forced and heavy breathing indoors (e.g., indoor group fitness classes), singing (chorus/choir), or wind instrument playing (band performances)
Masks need to be worn on all school buses because of a federal CDC Order requiring people to wear face masks while on public transportation.
We will continue to maintain physical distancing indoors and to maximize physical distancing to the extent possible in each school building and classroom.
Schools will continue the appropriate ventilation procedures that were in place last year.
Schools will continue to encourage the practice of washing hands, sanitizing hands, and using good etiquette when a person coughs or sneezes.
Staff and students need to stay home if they have any new symptoms suggestive of a viral infection. This means that coming to school when a person is not feeling well or might have symptoms even of a common cold is still not acceptable – such symptoms can include any of the currently listed symptoms of COVID-19.
If new viral symptoms are present, testing for COVID continues to be recommended for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Testing remains widely available in the community through both health care providers and multiple other avenues (see the current list of testing locations).
If a person tests positive for COVID, that person will be asked to isolate. Members of the household and close contacts in the household (including if there was a children's sleepover) will be asked to quarantine if they are not vaccinated. (see NH DPHS guidance for people who have been exposed to COVID-19).
Close household contacts who are fully vaccinated and close contacts in school, whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated, will not be required to quarantine, but they will be asked to monitor their symptoms and can continue to go to school if they do not have viral symptoms (see NH DPHS guidance for people who have been exposed to COVID-19).
For schools, the 'three feet or less for 10 minutes or more' guidance for determining who needs to quarantine is no longer in effect. Therefore, unlike last year, if a staff member or student tests positive, the entire class, no matter the grade, will not be asked to quarantine. Staff and students in the class will be asked to monitor viral symptoms and self-observe.
School administrators will continue to inform the parents/community of positive cases in schools so there is knowledge and awareness of potential COVID exposures.
Regular cleaning of our schools will continue.
Water fountains can be used, but students are encouraged to continue to bring their own water bottles.
Active daily screening of symptoms conducted by the school is not recommended by DPHS for this fall, but parents/guardians are asked to self-identify if their child is having symptoms consistent with a viral infection or COVID-19 and to not send their child to school, but rather seek testing for COVID-19 in the community. If a student comes to school and viral symptoms are noted, the student will go to the nurse and the parents will be asked to pick the child up and to contact their local health provider.
Schools will continue to provide meals/snacks with physical distancing to the greatest extent possible.
Lockers and locker rooms will be used with physical distancing.
School administrators/nurses will contact DPHS if there is a positive case in school and work with DPHS to determine if any further action steps are needed.
We ask that our staff and community follow the June 17, 2021 DHHS/DPHS Travel guidance, located here.
Note: This information may change based on COVID transmission rates and recommendations from DPHS and NH state officials.
Voluntary COVID Testing for K-12 Staff and Students
The Lebanon School District is partnering with a K-12 COVID testing vendor, Concentric by Ginkgo Bioworks, who provides end-to-end testing services in partnership with DHHS as an approved vendor.
We will be providing voluntary COVID testing one time per week for K-12 staff and students including Lebanon LMS and LHS traveling athletic teams.
This optional asymptomatic screening testing can identify positive cases in our schools and generate important information on the prevalence level of the virus in the school community, such that actions can be taken to slow the spread.
By implementing an optional testing program, we can help prevent outbreaks and keep students safely in person and on the athletics field.
A “pooled” or cohort testing methodology which Concentric runs allows for testing of an entire classroom, sports team, or extracurricular group at once in a single sample, without collecting any personal information from test-takers, and takes about 10-15 minutes to test a classroom.
All K-12th grade testing and staffing is provided by Concentric and is funded through the federal government. There is no cost to the Lebanon School District.
Please note that the nasal swab method to test for COVID is not the intrusive one many of us may have experienced. Please see the Concentric video overview of COVID testing procedures here.
Overview of the Voluntary COVID Testing Process for Staff and Students
Using antigen pool testing if a positive result comes up in a pool taken from a single classroom or pool:
- The school principal will notify staff members and parents with a child in the class there is an unconfirmed positive case based on COVID antigen testing
- Test all individuals in the positive pool using rapid antigen test (Abbott BinaxNOW), results in 15 minutes --> If no positive results come back on the antigen tests, test all individuals using individual PCR (saliva)
- Results of the PCR test are received and if they are positive- we inform staff members and parents that there is a confirmed positive COVID case and we would follow guidance from DPHS.
The child(ren) or staff member(s) who test positive will be asked to isolate.
Members of the household and close contacts in the household (including if there was a children's sleepover) will be asked to quarantine if they are not vaccinated. (NH DPHS guidance for people who have been exposed to COVID-19).
Close household contacts who are fully vaccinated and close contacts in school, whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated, will not be required to quarantine, but they will be asked to monitor their symptoms and can continue to go to school if they do not have viral symptoms (NH DPHS guidance for people who have been exposed to COVID-19).
Staff and students need to stay home if they have any new symptoms suggestive of a viral infection. This means that coming to school when a person is not feeling well or might have symptoms even of a common cold is still not acceptable – such symptoms can include any of the currently listed symptoms of COVID-19.
To sign up your Kindergarten-12th grade child, 17 years old or younger, for voluntary COVID testing, please use this link.
For staff and students who are 18 years or older please use this link to sign up for voluntary testing.
When prompted please use the following access codes:
HKHRY (Lebanon High School)
SGBAG (Mount Lebanon Elementary School)
DKCNR (Hanover Street School)
HPBYQ (Lebanon Middle School)
Kindergarten through 12th-grade parents will need to complete a separate form for each child participating in voluntary COVID testing.
The Lebanon School District is looking into Pre-kindergarten COVID testing. It is not covered through federal funds so we will fund it locally. I will be in touch with Katie Roach, Assistant Principal at MLS, and we will keep our preschool parents informed with any updates.
Lebanon High School Track Fundraising Committee-Call for Volunteers
The Lebanon School Board has approved much-needed repairs to the Lebanon High School track.
Besides allowing NHIAA competition to return the city, this project will restore safe conditions for community members and groups who use the facility. The School Board plans to raise funds from a variety of sources to offset the cost of the project.
Volunteers are needed to organize and carry out our fundraising campaign. We seek enthusiastic individuals who are well connected in our community, business people, friends of Lebanon athletics, people with fundraising experience and others who would like to contribute to this important undertaking.
Members of the committee should expect a six-month time commitment.
Please send letters of interest to: lhstrackfundraising@sau88.net
In Closing
As we plan for the 2021-2022 school year, the health and safety of our students, staff, families, and community members remains a priority. We continue to monitor the latest developments related to COVID-19 and guidance from NH state officials, CDC, and the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP).
DPHS created a Decision Matrix tool that provides a framework for recommendations for use of facemasks indoors based on the level of community transmission and COVID-19 transmission within a school facility. The DPHS Design Matrix tool is located at the very end of this letter and will guide the decisions of when masks are required in school.
When difficult decisions regarding COVID are made, we will continue to come from a place of doing our best to keep our staff, students, families, and community members safe while putting our efforts into sustaining a five-day in-person model for this school year.
I am incredibly grateful for your patience, understanding, and support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Dr. Joanne Roberts
DPHS Matrix Key
* Face masks are still recommended for people who want maximal protection for themselves or others (e.g., a household member who is unvaccinated or medically vulnerable)
† Exceptions can be made for classrooms/schools that have achieved a high vaccination rate (e.g., high-school), or where other prevention measures can be strictly implemented (e.g., 6 feet of physical distancing)
Lebanon School District Mission Statement
The Lebanon School District, in partnership with the community, is committed to providing a challenging, positive, and safe learning environment that CARES:
- Cultivates curiosity and collaboration
- Achieves academic excellence
- Respects and values diversity
- Encourages responsible citizenship
- Supports the needs of every learner
Lebanon School Board Information
Upcoming School Board Meeting:
Lebanon School Board Meeting Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 6:30 pm LMS Cafeteria
Please visit the SAU #88 website for further information.
SAU #88 Lebanon School District
Website: www.sau88.net
Location: 20 Seminary Hill Road, West Lebanon, NH, USA
Phone: 603-795-8500