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Update from Joint Stakeholder Coronavirus Task Force Tonight, the JSCRT met for the 3rd time to review the latest COVID-19 public health report data. While Haverhill still remains in the “red” category, our community’s average daily incidence rate per 100,000 has dropped to 16.5 down from a high of 20 a week ago. The number of active cases has also fallen from 184 last week to 152 this week with the percent positivity rate dropping from 3.46% to 2.42%. While this is not by any means where we want to be, if we continue to take the necessary precautions and reinforce safe habits with our students, we may see this trend continue and bring Haverhill back into the “yellow” zone (<8 cases per 100,000) within the next two weeks. No additional school staff have been diagnosed positive, and though there was one additional case of a student who may have been infectious while in school, there still has been no evidence of an in-school transmission of the virus. In light of the newest data, the JSCRT has agreed to recommend maintaining the status quo and continue the current learning models. A discussion was then had about how our data is impacting educators and families, with many students staying home while they are scheduled to be in the building under a hybrid model. All agreed that flexibility was important, especially when the city is “in the red” and parents may be more apprehensive, but that educators also need notice and students need to be held to consistent expectations as much as possible. School Committee Member Gail Sullivan was in attendance and will bring the feedback from our members to the Policy Subcommittee meeting on Monday (we will also have representation at that meeting, as it pertains to the MOA issue noted above). The JSCRT meets every Wednesday at 6:30pm. The HEA is represented by Lauren Sanguedolce, Tim Briggs, Dana McNamara, and myself and includes public health officials, members of administration and School Committee, as well as parents from the community. In Solidarity, Anthony Anthony J. Parolisi President Haverhill Education Association |