Superintendent's Letter
Friday, October 22, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, Families, and Community Members,
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to gather together and hold the bonfire and homecoming events. This is an incredibly busy time in our schools. I visit our schools often and am always impressed by how engaged our students are and by the innovation and creativity of our teachers. All of our administrators and staff members are very dedicated and go above and beyond in their efforts to support our students. This is also the time of year that administrators prepare the school district budget which will be presented to the School Board next month and voted on in March.
Newsletter Topics:
· Equity Audit
· District-Wide Response to a Positive COVID Case
· Use of COVID Home Test Kits
· Voluntary COVID Testing Information
· Two-Hour School Delay or Full Day Closing Information
Equity Audit
Over the next two years, we will be working with Mr. Deo Mwano, who is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant. This year, his work will focus on administering and analysis of the equity audit; facilitation of administrative and committee meetings; suggestions for our website, and assisting with the development of goals for the 2022-2025 strategic plan emphasizing social-emotional learning.
The equity audit will consist of surveys for staff, students, and families and opportunities for small group reflections as well.
We have had several staff members and parents contact Mr. Mwano which is great. If you would like to share your thoughts with Mr. Mwano about the Equity Audit please contact him at deo@deomwano.com and use the Subject- Lebanon School District Equity Audit.
District-Wide Response to A Positive COVID Case
When there is an increase in COVID there is concern about what will happen next in the school and community. The positive cases we are experiencing are not different from what is occurring in other schools across VT and NH. In fact, as of today, we are seeing a very small number of cases compared to schools state-wide. The guidance and the protocols that we are following were developed by the State and the protocols are the same for whether or not an individual is vaccinated.
If a staff member or student tests positive or the voluntary pooled results state there is an unconfirmed positive case, the parents of that particular class or pool are notified. If the staff member is a person who works as an Essential Arts teacher or in another capacity (not a specific grade-level classroom) the nurse/school administrator does their best to extend that notice to students who took that course. In all cases, the DPHS guidance is the same which is to self-monitor for symptoms, and our communications support this guidance.
I am appreciative that we have staff members and students staying home if they have symptoms, are getting tested, and are letting us know if they test positive or not. In other school districts, these students or staff members may have continued to go to school and spread the virus.
Our protocol is that DPHS is notified of all positive cases. As far as whether or not it is a breakthrough case and a vaccinated person tests positive, and those cases will happen, the mitigating layers in place are meant to limit transmission. We cannot guarantee that COVID cases will not occur. If there is a cluster- meaning three students/staff or more that become COVID positive due to transmission in the school setting, staff and parents will be notified.
If a very large population of staff/students becomes positive due to COVID transmission in the school setting DPHS and the Commissioner would be contacted to see if quarantining would be an appropriate next step. The Commissioner stated he will not support quarantining a class or school. He stated that remote learning should only occur when there is a weather emergency. DPHS has the ultimate authority to determine a class or school should quarantine based on a community COVID medical health emergency.
We will continue to follow the guidance provided by DPHS and communicate the status of cases with our staff members and families.
At-home COVID Test Kits
From Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) presentation:
“At-home test kits (most are antigen tests) will be increasingly available and used – we continue to recommend that schools and childcare programs accept at-home test results – When instructions are followed and swabs are appropriately collected, the at-home antigen tests should have comparable accuracy to provider collected swabs and antigen testing.”
Testing sites in the area are overburdened with appointments for COVID testing, parents are not hearing back from facilities in order to schedule a test in a timely manner, and we have not yet reached the peak of flu season. Therefore, providing parents with another opportunity to test their children for COVID makes it easier for parents, while clearing students to return to school in a more timely manner.
We understand that At Home COVID Tests are difficult to find. However, being proactive and putting together a procedure now will provide families with the information to move forward once the tests are easier to purchase.
Recommendation:
1. At-home COVID Testing is only to be used for testing symptomatic individuals.
2. The school nurses always recommend PCR Tests as they are still the most accurate for detecting COVID-19
3. If available, the following tests are FDA Authorized and preferred: (https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/wellness/best-home-covid-tests-n1275687)
b. BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test
c. Quidel QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test
Note: The District will accept COVID test results from kits that are not FDA authorized.
4. If a person has symptoms, and an At-home COVID Test has been completed, please send in a picture of the test along with the student’s name and date on the test to the school nurse. This applies to test results that are both negative and positive.
5. Sometimes the results are inconclusive or not clear. If the display on the home test shows an invalid result or a test error, the test did not work properly. The test should be redone so that the result ( positive or negative) is certain.
6. After using a test, discard it. Do not use a test more than once.
7. If a student tests positive from a home test, the next step is to call for an appointment for a PCR test.
8. If at any point there are questions, please reach out to the nurse in your child's school for guidance.
Voluntary COVID Testing for Staff and Students
Thank you to our families and staff members who are participating in voluntary COVID testing. I recently received several emails asking for the information to sign up for voluntary testing.
To sign up your PreKindergarten-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:
· Hanover Street School: 532H6E
· Lebanon Middle School: 81ZM9C
· Mount Lebanon Elementary School: XHBBGP
· Lebanon High School: KLFZAN
Pre-Kindergarten through 12th-grade parents will need to complete a separate form for each child participating in voluntary COVID testing.
Protocol for unconfirmed or confirmed positive cases:
If by chance a pool comes back positive, we will notify the staff and the families of those students in the pool that there is an unconfirmed positive case.
Students/staff in the pool will be asked to monitor for symptoms and will be tested two days later.
After the follow-up testing, those in the pool will be notified of either the negative or positive results.
The person who tested positive will be asked to isolate and close contacts will be notified per the procedures we have been following since the start of the pandemic. I will also inform the larger community of the positive test result.
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 not acceptable-such symptoms can include any of the currently listed symptoms of COVID-19.
Two-Hour School Delay or Full Day School Closing Information
This year, we are returning to traditional 'no school' when there is a full day snow day rather than having a remote learning day.
Based on our school calendar, if we have two full snow days, we will consider moving to remote learning rather than adding days in June.
The primary focus in determining whether to alter the school day in response to weather conditions or other reasons is student safety.
The day may be affected in two ways:
1. School delayed two hours
2. School closed
If students can get to school, we seldom close early due to inclement weather.
The following factors will be considered when deciding about the school day due to inclement weather:
1. Are the roads/highways safely passable? Both the Lebanon Police Department and Public Works Department are contacted.
2. Can pedestrians (on the way to and at school) move around safely?
3. Can the building exits be cleared in the event we need to evacuate? (Being able to get into a building does not necessarily mean we can rapidly evacuate a building.)
4. Can the buses travel safely?
There will be occasions when school remains open in less than ideal weather conditions. When this happens, we have a particular concern for the welfare of our teenage drivers. We know that icy and snow‐covered roads are a challenge for any driver. Please be very deliberate before allowing a young driver to leave for school in inclement weather. When school is in session, if you feel that road conditions are unsafe to send your child to school, you always have the freedom to keep your child home for the day.
When there is a change in the school day, an automated message will be delivered via email and/or telephone through the school District’s emergency notification system – SchoolMessenger. Information is also posted on local television channels WMUR and WNNE and many local radio stations as well as the District’s website at www.sau88.net. Before school closing or delayed openings will begin by 5:45 a.m.
Please note that Grantham and Plainfield may have different weather conditions and may close or have a two-hour delay when Lebanon is running on a normal schedule. In those instances, Grantham and Plainfield students are marked with an excused absence and are allowed to make up missed assignments. Parents can also drop their children off at school. Plainfield and Grantham administrators make the final decision regarding the running of their buses.
Parents should encourage their children to wear the type of clothing that will not only keep them warm and enable them to see where they are going, but also permit them to be seen. If a child cannot be seen by the bus driver, there could be a safety issue. For example, white clothing is difficult to see in snow but makes one visible at night. If the weather is inclement, your child should be dressed for the occasion and leave a few minutes earlier than their normal starting time to reach the school bus stop or school safely and on time.
In Closing
Please know that we are grateful for your patience, understanding, and support as we navigate through this school year. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful weekend.
Dr. Joanne Roberts
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, October 27, 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