By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Short of a miracle, SAD 61 will remain in its present “hybrid” instructional system when the calendar turns to 2021.

Superintendent Al Smith told school board directors via Zoom Monday Dec. 7 that the target date of Jan. 11 to resume full in-person instruction is unlikely “unless something miraculously happens” based on Maine’s current surge in Covid-19 cases.

After a quiet fall, Covid-19 has surfaced on the school front.

Last week, the school district dealt alerted parents to a positive Covid-19 case involving its transportation department. A letter was sent out and also posted on the district website that a staff member had tested positive for the virus.

The letter outlined how the district responded when notified on Wednesday, Dec. 2 that a staff member had tested positive.

• Contact tracing was conducted on Dec. 2 and the direct contact situation was isolated to one bus route. 

• Contract tracing identified that the staff member was most recently in direct contact with some Cohort A students on Monday, Nov. 23 and some Cohort B students and other staff on Tuesday, Nov. 24. 

• All staff and students who were in direct contact have been notified. 

• The Cohort A direct contacts will quarantine for 14 days, allowing students to return to school on Wednesday, Dec. 9. 

• The Cohort B direct contacts and staff will quarantine for 14 days, allowing students to return to school on Thursday, Dec. 10. • All of the affected students will receive their educational programming remotely throughout their quarantine time. 

• Students and staff in quarantine are contacted directly by the CDC contact tracers and/or school personnel. 

• If you have not been contacted by the CDC or school personnel, there is no interruption to your educational program or to any other schools.

On Monday, news came that a Lake Region Middle School student has tested positive. The community letter posted on the SAD 61 website reads:

• Contract tracing was conducted on Dec. 7 and identified that the student was most recently at LRMS on Wednesday, Dec. 2. 

• All staff and students who were in direct contact have been notified. 

• The close contacts will quarantine for 10 days from the last day of contact, allowing students and staff to return to school by Monday, Dec. 14. 

• All of the affected students will receive their educational programming remotely throughout their quarantine time. 

• Students and staff in quarantine are contacted directly by the CDC contact tracers and/or school personnel. 

• If you have not been contacted by the CDC or school personnel, there is no interruption to your educational program or to any other schools. 

“Working together, we can keep a safe and healthy environment in our schools to best serve our students,” Smith concluded in the letter.          

Questions and concerns regarding how SAD 61 officials handled the matter prompted Smith and Assistant Superintendent Pat Hayden to draft a “fairly extensive” Q/A document. Smith told directors the document would be sent to staff, families and be posted on the SAD 61 website. (See Q/A sidebar.)

Meanwhile, SAD 61 continues to develop a plan to return to five day, in-person instruction once the district can safely enact the change. 

Parents were asked to fill out an survey — either a hard copy or online — to indicate their intent to either send their children back to school to attend in-person five days a week or move to 100% remote. The survey closed on Nov. 24.

Stevens Brook Elementary School Academic Leader Liz Shane reported that about 70% of parents at SBES and Songo Locks School had responded and calls were being made to those parents who had not.

“Overall, the results indicate little change in the numbers of families requesting the in-person model of instruction and those requesting the remote model of instruction,” Shane said. “There were a few outliers who would like to change from remote to in person and vice versa.”

Shane presented a “Re-Entry Plan 2021” power-point addressing key points:

Changes to expect

• Social distancing will be three feetin accordance with CDC guidelines.

• Students will continue to use their desk shields.

• Classroom doors will remain open for increased air circulation and to reduce contact with high touch surfaces.

Class placement

• In order to stay within the three-foot physical distancing requirement and to adhere to the CDC and DOE guidelines, class placement may change for some students. This decision will not be made lightly and only if necessary to follow safety protocols.

• If a change in class placement is necessary, parents would be notified a minimum of two weeks prior to the re-entry.

Meals

• For students to remove their masks and eat six-feetapart, students will eat lunch in a combination of locations — cafeteria, stage, gym and classrooms. They will be seated at individual tables or desks.

• Desk shields will be used for an added layer of protection.

• Breakfast and snack will be eaten in a combination of places — classrooms and hallways. Students who eat in hallways will use a personal, free-standing lap tray. 

Remote Instruction changes

• Students will be assigned a teacher(s) from either of the elementary schools.

• Depending on the numbers of families who select 100% remote and how many select five days in person, students who are currently remote could experience a change in teacher.

Preparation for In-Person Return

• Removal of additional classroom furniture. 

• Student transition meetings, if needed. 

• Adjusting classroom schedules. 

• Special Education teachers/teams coordinating caseload.

• Adjusting special education schedules.

• Adjusting intervention schedules. 

• Review updated school wide protocols. 

Packing and moving, if needed. 

• Reviewing changes to Master Schedule — recess, lunch, specials, arrival/dismissal, duty. 

“The good news? We are moving three third grade classrooms out of the gymnasium and back into classrooms,” Shane added.

Casco Director Stan Buchanan voiced concern about young children eating in school hallways.

SBES Principal Cheryl Turpin clarified children will be sitting on the floor and the “personal” trays, which will be cleaned every day, include legs. Turpin said snack time is about 10 to 15 minutes, thus using the hallway will enable the schedule to maintain a flow.

Turpin suspects younger children will see the use of trays as a “picnic” and find the experience “enjoyable.”

Winter sports up in the air

In “normal” times, the winter sports season would be already underway.

2020, as we all know, is hardly normal.

How the winter sports season unfolds remains a big question mark. Lake Region Athletic Director Paul True reported that the Maine Principals’ Association last Friday pushed the start of high school winter sports practices back to Jan. 4.

LR athletes took part in skill-building drills and strength/conditioning on Monday “mostly by cohorts and under strict guidelines,” True said.

Down the road, however, Fryeburg Academy remains in a holding pattern, likely until after Christmas, after Gov. Mills designated Oxford County as “yellow” due to the recent surge in Covid cases.

Bridgton Director Karla Swanson-Murphy asked True if any LRHS teams had yet to start training?

While alpine, indoor track, basketball and ice hockey (restricted to one hour sessions, three times a week) are underway, cheering is not. True pointed out that cheerleaders will not be on the sidelines during games due to restrictions to the number of people in the gym at one time. Discussions are being held to come up with other options.

Live-streaming will be the window for fans to see Lake Region athletes in action. True said 100% of home activities will be live-streamed, much like what was done in the fall. Hockey games played at Bridgton Academy can be seen via a YouTube subscription channel — at a “minimal” cost, True said.

Since high schools will not be able to use the University of Southern Maine field house in Gorham for indoor track meets, schools are considering “virtual” meets. For example, a Lake Region high jumper’s effort will be “streamed” to a competing school, where other high jumpers will watch, then the other school’s jumper will follow with that attempt being streamed and watched here.

True said at this point there is “no plan” to live-stream alpine ski races. 

Other notes

• Due to an executive session, Superintendent Smith informed board members that the Dec. 21 meeting will need to be held in-person. The board could use the Vocational Center’s Great Room, which would provide adequate social distancing space since only directors will be in the room (the public portion of the meeting will be held via Zoom). Or, if members would be more comfortable in a larger space, the meeting could be held in the gym. An e-mail will be sent to members to determine meeting location.

• Personnel items — Caryl Edwards replaces Jennifer Hills as a permanent substitute at Lake Region Middle School. There were two applicants, one was interviewed.

Approval of Lori Katz as a permanent substitute at Lake Region Middle School. There were two applicants, and two were interviewed.

Approval of Paula Grace as a long-term substitute at Songo Locks School for Roxanne Mayhew. There were three applicants, two were interviewed.

Approval of George Rey as a long-term substitute at Lake Region Middle School for Alaina Clark. There were five applicants, one was interviewed.

• Approval of donation of 25 hand-made masks from Pat Converse.

Donations accepted at a previous board meeting included: Community HELP to Stevens Brook Elementary School of instructional aids (value $145); Community HELP to Songo Locks Elementary School of instructional aids, lap desks and four rocking chairs ($220); Hannaford Helps to Stevens Brooks Elementary School, $2,281.00; Robert Brand to the CTE Introductory Program (Manual Arts) at Lake Region Vocational Center of woodworking materials and equipment ($703.62). 

• Winter stipends approved for Courtney Roberts, weight room ($692); Wayne Neiman as varsity ice hockey coach ($4,227); Brian Crockett as middle school girls’ basketball coach ($2,586); Ken Martin as boys’ First Team basketball coach ($2,722).