Sisters and Brothers,
Last night, the Joint Stakeholder Coronavirus Response Team met again to review the lastest public health information. This week’s 14-day average daily incidence rate is holding steady at 81.2 per 100,000. The positivity rate is 8.78%, down from 10.73% last week with 10,281 tests performed over that period.
This week, the District reported to DESE 1 positive case of a student who had been in a school building during the potential infectious period leading to 37 students and educators to be deemed close contacts and quarantined. District-wide, 5 new cases among staff members were confirmed, with only 1 who had not been in a school building during the potential infectious period.
As of last night there were 38 staff members currently on quarantine as close contacts, 11 positive cases and 3 who are symptomatic (presumed positive). 131 Haverhill students were close contacts, 46 positive cases, and 11 symptomatic.
Pool testing continues, and I continue to encourage all staff to participate. The JSCRT discussed a myriad of concerns from educators and parents about the process which follows after a pool test result comes back positive. While all those who were in the pool are asked to refrain from entering the building until a follow-up test can be performed, in most cases when that has been necessary the test can been administered the same day the results come in, or the next morning, with a rapid result.
The District is working to hire more healthcare workers to help conduct the testing. While by no means a perfect system, the process continues to improve as we all become more proficient with it. So far, 222 pools of about 5-10 persons per pool have been processed, with 119 conducted this week. As of last night, only 1 pool has been positive with 53 results expected some time today.
After weeks of discussion, the JSCRT was finally able to develop a metric to guide the School Committee when making any decisions with regard to changing the learning model. All agree that this metric, combined with the data available for all to see on the Haverhill Public Schools COVID-19 Dashboard will help provide the whole community more clarity when evaluating the School Committee’s future decisions.
This victory stems from your historic “No Confidence Vote” just over a month ago today. Prior to then, there was no appetite from the School Committee to even discuss such a metric, though they had agreed to do so in our Memorandum of Agreement regarding reopening. Your action was successful because in disrupting the status quo you flexed your Union muscle and leveraged your labor to demand better.
As we turn the page on this fight we will continue to monitor conditions in our schools, including the results of the air quality testing that has just begun and demanding safe temperatures in our classrooms and workspaces while ensuring adequate air flow at the same time. Please continue to report building issues to your principal and submit Facilities Work Requests (daily, if you must)to report them to Central Office.
Building Representatives have or are forming Environmental Health and Safety Committees at every building to bring all school staff – custodians, cafeteria staff, nurses, and administrators – together to discuss going issues and determine which can and can not be addressed at the building level. Issues that can’t be resolved at the building level will then be brought back to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee to address with the Administration.
The next JSCRT meeting is on Thursday, February 4 at 6:00pm.
In Solidarity,
Anthony
Anthony J. Parolisi
President
Haverhill Education Association