Special Covid-19 Message

Dear R.H. Conwell Community,

I am writing to inform you that a person in our school community has tested positive for COVID-19. At this time, we have determined that the school will: Move to remote learning effective immediately, and will remain in a remote learning model through February 3. We will return to in person learning on February 4, 2021.

Our first responsibility is to keep our students and staff safe. We have been planning for this scenario during our reopening planning process and have a comprehensive plan in place to sanitize the school, inform families whose students were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and support the affected family/families as they navigate this stressful experience.

Though we cannot provide specific information about our school community member who tested positive, please continue to monitor your child for symptoms, and keep your child home in quarantine if they show any symptoms or are not feeling well. Parents of students who were in close contact with the community member will be notified privately.

We are also following all Department of Health protocols, including collaborating with our local board of health to complete contact tracing. Additionally, we are asking those parents whose students are tested for COVID-19 to please report the results to the school nurse. We are working hard to understand the impact of the virus on our school community and this information is a critical piece of that puzzle.

Please understand that this decision was made in order to keep everyone in our close-knit community as safe as possible. Teachers have all shared their remote learning schedules with you all in anticipation of this possibility down the road, and students will continue to receive all services they are currently receiving while in-person.

Our students and staff have been closely adhering to the safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing. We are grateful to our families for their continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of symptoms. These measures, taken in combination, greatly reduce the risk of additional transmission. To further prevent transmission of the virus to other staff and students, we have sanitized the school with a focus on those areas frequented by the community member(s) who tested positive. We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the protocols that have been put in place in an effort to return to in-person learning.

For more information on COVID-19 symptoms and testing, visit:

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing#where-can-get-a-test?-.

We are committed to continuous communication with and support of our families. Please contact us immediately should you or someone in your home begin to show symptoms. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Meg or Mrs. Dobosz. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Morse-Dobosz
Principal / Superintendent
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org

Meg Breymann NP
School Nurse
mbreymann@hr-k12.org