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Covid-19 outbreak forces Curley School in Jamaica Plain to switch to online learning
By adamg on Tue, 11/09/2021 - 2:13pm
The Curley School on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain will shut for ten days, starting tomorrow, due to an outbreak of Covid-19 across "multiple grade levels and classrooms over the last week," school Principal Katie Grassa informed parents today.
Students are being sent home with Chromebooks so they can pick up where they left off earlier this year with at-home learning.
The school will re-open Monday, Nov. 22, which should give time for both the outbreak to end and for the school to "add staffing capacity to fully implement the test and stay and contact tracing programs," Grassa wrote.
She added the closing came on the advice of the Boston Public Health Commission.
BPHC advises those who have been on campus to self-isolate and avoid groups or gatherings, this includes community activities such as practices and social events, for at least five days and until you receive a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of vaccination status. Please stay home and seek guidance from your medical professional if you develop any symptoms.
Still being figured out: How to get food to students who normally get their weekday meals at the school.
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Comments
Not surprised
Both my kids go to the Curley. In the past week, we've gotten calls home that both of them were (separately) directly exposed to an infected classmate, and that they were doing follow-up testing on them. From what I hear there were more such events in higher grades. It's not the school's fault, it's just the reality of BPS charging forward into the school year with classrooms at full capacity. Meanwhile, the district has steadfastly refused to even consider building a plan for the unthinkable situation that has just happened, so there's no infrastructure in place to support remote learning this year, as we head into the winter months with the schools at full capacity.
Yes, and "provide time to add
Yes, and "provide time to add staffing capacity to fully implement the test and stay and contact tracing programs" is deeply concerning too ... those were the protocols we were told were keeping our kids safe.
I"m not sure that's fair to BPS?
Last I checked, the MA head for education specifically barred schools from remote learning as an option. Has that changed?
https://www.baystatebanner.com/2021/09/16/govs-remote-learning-ban-spark...
In-school testing
When my daughter had a close contact at her school, we were told that the options were she could be tested in school every day for a week or stay home and work on her own (but not attend class remotely). What actually happened was that families sent their kids to school, but never signed the release to have them tested. So half of her class just...didn't ever get tested. If that's the best the BPS can do, there are going to be a lot more outbreaks before the end of the year.
So frustrating
There’s really no good reason not to sign the release so your kid can get tested at school.
Covid testing at school...
should have been "opt-out" rather than "opt-in" consent. Many parents did not respond to the email sent out from the district at the beginning of the school year or did not understand the advantages. The main advantage, besides weekly pooled-testing, is "test and stay." Close contacts of school-based positive cases do not have to quarantine at home for 10 days. They can remain in school and get tested daily for a week, as long as they are asymptomatic and covid negative. When parents understand this, they sign up quickly!
The really smart figured out
The really smart figured out you can stay and don't test.
What is "smart"
about refusing free and convenient testing for COVID? If your child has become infected, wouldn't you want to know?
No, aren't children
No, aren't children asymptomatic anyway? It's really difficult to find child care for 10 days while you are working.
And
What about kids who do become sick? Immunocompromised children and adults? It is CARELESS for parents not to sign their kids up for in school testing.
Not all kids
and thanks for making the argument for universal paid family leave!
Maybe you should just stop
Children have died of covid. I assure you they had symptoms.
Maybe you should just stop commenting if you're going to say blatantly stupid and cruel things like this.
Saying blatantly stupid and/or cruel things...
.. seems to be that guy's raison d'etre here.
DESE bungled that as well
by royally screwing up the translations on the consent forms, and getting the consent forms out so late (Although it's also possible that it was their vendor that messed that up.)
Agreed that it should have been opt-out-only.
There is one way out
Vaccination.
Listen to BigBird.
I'm with you, but
Our pediatrician doesn't have any openings until December, and my youngest is in K1 and isn't going to be 5 until next spring. The moment we can get them both vaccinated, we will, but the rollout of the pediatric vaccine is starting to remind me of the early days of the adult vaccine.
CVS or Walgreens
may be better options for the older kid who is now eligible for vaccination.
Tufts
Tufts is taking walk-ins of all ages.
https://www.tuftsmcvaccine.org/
You can blame Charlie Baker for that.
DESE -- the MA state dept of education -- has forbidden schools from having a remote option. For all of BPS's problems, that's not on them.
BPS doesn't have a crisis plan on the shelf?
Given all that has occurred over the past 19 months, surely BPS has a blueprint in place on how to deal with just such an occurrence? Didn't it also include a plan for meals?
The crisis planning seems very ad hoc. Last week's episode at the Henderson was an example of that - they needed to close K-12 in two separate buildings to deal with an episode of violence on the staff, rather than sending the message that school and learning will prevail no matter the circumstances. And sadly, no, violence upon staff is not actually rare, so BPS should have had a plan.
Give Charlie a call
Let him know what you think, because it is the STATE that is keeping BPS from having a plan.
How has Casellius not figured this out?
We are 20 months i to the pandemic, with no contingency for meals?
Let's not overestimate the
Let's not overestimate the city of Boston. We can do a city-wide green new deal and we can get a free T. But we cannot plan for remote learning during the second year of a pandemic. The state DOE says no.
Let's not underestimate the
Let's not underestimate the capacity of Notfromboston to open his pie hole and spout ignorant nonsense about a city where he doesn't live.
In the words of Bugs Bunny, "Siddown, pigeon."