Dear Medway families,
I am writing today with a brief update and will follow up with more information in the coming week. As you likely know, the Medway School Committee convened on Thursday, August 19. At my recommendation and with the support of the leadership team and the Medway Federation of Teachers, the Committee agreed to implement PK-12 universal masking for all staff and students for all indoor activities to start the school year, beginning on September 1. The presentation that Dr. Sherman, Director of Wellness, and I shared during the meeting can be found here.
During the meeting, I also shared that I anticipated a similar action to be taken at the state level in the near future. On Friday, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner, Jeff Riley, shared that he would be seeking the authority from the Board of Education to require universal masking for all of the Commonwealth’s PK-12 children through at least October 1, 2021. This approval will be sought during the Board of Education meeting on August 24, 2021. You can read more about this late breaking news at this link. It has also been shared that, if approved, DESE will develop and release metrics to support local decision making on when it is most appropriate to discontinue or re-engage COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including masking.
Finally, I would like to echo the sentiments and gratitude shared by our School Committee last week and Thursday evening pertaining to our community’s level of engagement in this incredibly difficult topic. The ongoing pandemic and decision making around mitigation strategies continues to be challenging for all. We hope that this commitment to mitigation strategies, including masking, will allow us to effectively begin the school year without disruption that may be caused by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Upcoming Events
September 1, 2021 | First Day of School: Grade 1-12 |
September 2, 2021 | First Day of School: Kindergarten |
September 3, 2021 | No School |
September 6, 2021 | No School: Labor Day |
September 7, 2021 | No School: Rosh Hashanah |
September 16, 2021 | No School: Yom Kippur |