entering natick sign

entering natick sign

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • Subscribe to daily email
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Summer Camp
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Redhawks sports schedule & results
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Events
  • Kids
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Top 10 things to do
  • The Swellesley Report
  • Beyond Natick
  • History
  • Government
  • Seniors
  • Support independent journalism
  • Natick Nest articles
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Town Election 2023


Natick Public Schools ready to navigate obstacles to achieve full reopening

March 11, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Natick School Department and Board of Health have plenty of reservations about the state’s mandate for students at public schools to return to classrooms full time next month, but Natick Public Schools Supt. Dr. Anna Nolin says her team has been preparing all along for this to happen.

“I want you to know that we’ve been planning for school reopening since the fall, that it is always the Natick Public Schools’ greatest hope that we get students back in full live schooling as much as possible, but wanted to do so in a safe manner,” Nolin said at the Natick Board of Health meeting on March 9 meeting.

lilja tents

 

She had initially planned to attend that meeting to give an update on COVID-19 pool testing that Natick Public Schools has begun using, but her presentation expanded into laying out how Natick is readying for its transition from a hybrid learning model to a full return to classrooms, at least for K-8 students (week of April 5 for elementary school, week of April 26 for middle school, unclear on high school).

The pool testing, which started last week and is funded by the state for the first six weeks, is among the key mitigation efforts designed to make a full return to school work as some mitigation efforts are loosened (e.g., social distancing of 3 rather than 6 feet in some situations). More than 90 volunteers, largely vaccinated medical personnel, are essentially running the program day to day, with oversight by the school’s nursing department, with Nolin’s support on the back end for logistical support. The state has also supplied medical services employees through a vendor partnership to support the program.

The pool testing—at what Nolin calls the “70% sweet spot of participation” so far—complements other mitigation efforts, from hand washing and social distancing, to air filtration and ventilation as well as plexiglass barriers on desktops. Natick Public Schools have boasted no in-class spread of COVID-19 among adults or students, and overall just 2% of students and 3% of faculty/staff have reported infections. NPS is exploring how to approach pool testing once the free pilot period is done, and Nolin said there are other pool testing options that could be more cost efficient if the schools decide to keep going with it for the rest of this school year or at the start of next school year.

Despite the pool testing and other approaches being taken by NPS, the Board of Health and Health Department expressed reservations even while recognizing that the schools have no choice but to reopen.


See also: Wellesley Board of Health: Benefits of returning to classrooms outweigh the COVID-19 virus risk


Public Health Director Jim White aired worries about the students, but even more concern about the adults who will be around them given that vaccine rollouts to them have only just begun (parents have been helping teachers book vaccination appointments, a grateful Nolin said).

“There has been so much effort put into this hybrid model and it actually has been working exceedingly well for the town of Natick, and to change things at the end of the school year…it just boggles my mind that they want to change right now when the entire school year is coming to an end,” White said. (Of course some would argue that while Natick has done its best to accommodate students and families, including those going full-remote, the mental and physical health of students will still benefit from them getting back into school in light of the latest scientific and local data about how COVID-19 really spreads.)

Nolin says planning has been put in place to ensure maximum safety under the circumstances, and acknowledges there are gray areas that still need to be addressed, including how lunch will be handled. The superintendent said there’s “immense push and pressure” from parents, for example, for traditional year-end celebrations to take place, but it’s unclear how that will be handled safely.

Certain classes, such as physical education and music, might need to be rethought. “There’s lots of other ways you can teach music. We have a robust percussion program. God help us all for all the drumming that will happen,” Nolin said. NPS may also wind up renting space to accommodate students under social distancing guidelines.

One frustration, Nolin said, is the role that the Health Department will be able to play related to NPS moving forward under state rules. The Board of Health could shut down the in-classroom operation of schools, but the school system would have to make up for any lost time through the summer or next year.

“Regulatory changes have been made that make this not a possibility for me to ignore the mandate, and so I need your partnership in the safest return to school that I can possibly do,” Nolin said. “We can do anything that we set our minds to I am sure, and parents are going to be able to make decisions about their students’ participation in live school or not.”


Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email

Filed Under: COVID-19, Government, Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisements





Tip us off!

Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

If you’d like to contribute $ to support our independent journalism venture, please do….

Advertisements

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Camps
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Charles River dam
  • Community
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Firefighters
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Letters to the editor
  • Media
  • Military
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Music
  • Natick Election 2022
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick History Museum
  • Natick Nest
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Opinion
  • Outdoors
  • Parents
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Theater
  • Town election 2021
  • Town Election 2023
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Vacation
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Weather
lion publishers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required
Our newsletter is free, though we gladly accept contributions to support our work.

Most Read Posts

  • '60 Minutes' segment on Natick couple's harassment by eBay execs airing Sunday, March 26
  • One high school student’s push to save Natick ballroom hidden in plain sight
  • Sign up now for summer camp in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick's Wilson Middle school enriched with cafeteria composting program
  • Level99 expanding beyond Natick into... Providence

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Upcoming Events

Apr 1
11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Fair in the Square, Wellesley

Apr 11
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Online meeting to address flooding in Natick

Apr 29
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Metrowest Rocks concert to benefit Actor’s Company of Natick

May 20
10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Supercar show

View Calendar

Pages

  • Letters to the editor on Natick Report
  • Guidelines for Natick Report letters to the editor
  • Natick election 2023—guidelines for promoting candidates and ballot questions
  • Natick’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Natick, Massachusetts libraries
  • Comment Policy
  • Bacon Free Library in Natick, hours for winter 2023
  • Morse Institute Library in Natick—hours for winter 2023
  • Resources for seniors in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Report corrections policy
  • Scenic Roads in Natick
  • Where to stay in Natick, Mass. (hotels, inns)
  • Private Schools in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Where to eat in Natick, Mass: more that 70 dining options
  • Natick, Mass., history
  • Natick government
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Natick Little Free Libraries
  • Natick public schools
  • Where to sled in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no
  • Natick Election 2023, political candidates advertising
  • Natick election 2022—candidate interviews

© 2023 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login