Norwood School Committe Receives COVID-19 Policy Update

NORWOOD, MA - Norwood's public schools are hoping to implement the state's Test and Stay program on Oct. 18 as a means of keeping children in the classroom.

One problem remains - the need to hire more people to assist with testing and contact tracing to alleviate the strain on school nurses.

The Test and Stay program is a joint statewide initiative through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Participating school districts, including Norwood, allow parents to register their children for this program.

If a student registered in Test and Stay has been exposed to COVID-19 when in school or school activities, that student is eligible to receive a free rapid COVID-19 test to determine if this is a positive case. If the test results are negative, the student can stay in school and proceed with regular school activities while being tested every day for at least five days from the date of exposure, as long as a negative result is recorded.

The program was supposed to be implemented statewide at the start of the school year. However, there was a shortage of testing supplies that has impacted districts across the state.

"We are essentially ready to implement Test and Stay," said Superintendent David Thomson. "It's a staffing issue."

He added that one person from CIC Health, the testing company procured by the state, needs to be involved in the process. That person is expected to be in place for Oct. 18.

In addition, test administrators are needed at the schools to take nasal swabs from students. People do not need to be medical professionals to apply. Anyone interested in more information on the position can contact the superintendent's office via the district's website.

Thomson clarified that the initial testing at the beginning of the school year was delayed by a lack of supplies, as it has been across the state. The Test and Stay program's delay has ben caused by a lack of staff.

School Committee member Joan Giblin noted that parents should check the CIC database to ensure that their children have been registered for Test and Stay, as "CIC lost a whole bunch of registrations."

Other positions are available in the school system, particularly for paraprofessionals. To explore job listings, click here.

There were six COVID-19 cases currently in the school system reported on Oct. 6, including four students and two adults, according to a report given during the meeting.

Notifying families about close contact exposure is another duty that has fallen upon the school nursing staff in addition to testing. The default notification is via email, so Thomson encouraged parents to make sure that their email addresses are up to date. If there is a limited number of close contacts, a nurse may call.

A close contact can be exempted from quarantine if the student has recovered from COVID-19 within 90 days or if the individual is fully vaccinated. Other conditions include being exposed while both individuals were masked and at least three feet apart or if a student is on a bus and masked with the windows open.

DESE also decided that the indoor school mask mandate will remain in place until at least Nov. 1. However, if a school can prove an 80 percent vaccination rate for all students and staff, then the School Committee can decide if the mask mandate can be eliminated for vaccinated individuals. Staff would include teachers and administrators as well as support personnel such as food service workers and custodians.

Currently, Thomson said about 95 percent of the staff members are vaccinated. However, data would need to be collected about students at the middle and high schools to determine the overall percentage of the vaccinated in-school population.

Health Department Director Sigalle Reiss presented the latest COVID-19 town statistics to the committee. Fifty-six percent of Norwood residents between the ages of 12 and 18 are fully vaccinated, an increase of 89 people from September. However, this number is for Norwood residents in this age group, which includes those who do not attend the Norwood Public Schools. There are 177 people within this parameter who have been partially vaccinated.

Norwood's overall vaccination rate is steadily climbing at 71 percent. The current case count is 42 over the previous two weeks. Twelve of those cases occurred in children between the ages of 5 and 18.

Chair Teresa Stewart noted that Reiss and Norwood were featured in a video put out through the Massachusetts Public Health Association, a nonprofit. It highlighted the work done by several public health agencies.

"I just wanted to thank you for that, acknowledge you for that, and let the community know that there was a reason Norwood was highlighted in that video," she said.