Reopening Plan

Per the Interim Final Rule (IFR) released by the US Department of Education on April 22, 2021, “The statutory requirements for each LEA to develop a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services, to seek and incorporate public comment on the plan, and to make the plan publicly available are important for planning and transparency as LEAs work to return to, or continue, the safe operation of in-person instruction. However, the statute does not explicitly define what it means for a plan to provide for a safe return to and continuity of in-person instruction.”

Superintendent's Updates

February 18th

Dear BRSU Families,

As we approach February break I have some important information to share with you. I am pleased to let you know that our SU positive COVID case counts have declined significantly over the past three weeks which is good for our schools.

We have reached another transition point in the pandemic. On Tuesday, Governor Scott and Secretary of Education Dan French announced that as of February 28 they recommend that schools with an 80% student vaccination rate or higher could transition to allowing masks to be optional.

We are through the Omicron surge and the state is shifting to an endemic response, meaning, we adjust to living with the virus as part of our daily life, as we do with a virus like the flu. Many of our parents and employees are ready and have been waiting for this moment and others remain cautious and concerned. These different responses have been a part of our culture for the past two years.

In consideration of the state’s recommendation, BRSU schools will take the following approach. On February 28, schools with at least 80% of the students vaccinated will transition to masks being optional. Right now, this only applies to Sunderland Elementary School. All other BRSU schools are at or below a 61% student vaccination rate.

When we return to school after February break, I will closely monitor our positive cases. If the case counts remain low, I plan on transitioning our remaining five schools to being mask optional on Monday, March 14. This timing allows us to monitor for a post-vacation impact and allows families who have hesitated to have their child vaccinated, to receive the vaccination before we lift the mask mandate, if they choose to do so. I will communicate with you by the end of the week of March 7 to confirm our plan.

At this time, masks are still required on school buses as this is a CDC federal requirement that we do not have the authority to change.

This transition may be challenging for some of you. As parents and guardians, I encourage you to make the decision you consider best for your child. I personally hope that we have school communities in which people are wearing and not wearing masks based on their personal situation. There are countless reasons someone might wear a mask for a short or long period of time and normalizing this is good for all of us.

A year ago we felt optimism with the arrival of a vaccine and I feel a similar optimism with this transition to living with the virus as a part of our lives. We need this for our well being and our children do, as well. I ask you to be patient with us as we work through this in our schools and I appreciate your willingness to follow our plan. Have a wonderful week.

Best,

Randi Lowe, EdD

Superintendent

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January 14th

Dear BRSU Families,

I have a lot of information to share as we close out this week and I will be as succinct as possible. I created this brief 3:40 second video for you to watch, if you would prefer to listen to me talk about the updates rather than reading this letter in its entirety.

Every BRSU school has been impacted directly or indirectly by positive cases this week. Our numbers are higher than we have experienced before which is not surprising given the nature of the current Omicron variant. We needed to close MEMS today because we didn’t have the capacity to test and contact trace the close contacts in that community.

The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) and the Department of Health (VDH) have updated their COVID-19 response protocols for schools. The practices we have been using to contact trace and to ‘Test to Stay’ in schools are no longer effective approaches to managing the virus. Needing to close MEMS is an example of this.

Next week, we will transition from current contact tracing practices and testing at the school to testing at home. Every school will have their own process and timeline for this transition so follow the guidance provided by your principal and school nurse. In general, we will notify you that your child is a close contact to someone at school and will refer you to the VDH website to follow their guidance. We ask that you carefully read the expectations and follow the protocol based on vaccination status.

We will also transition away from ‘Test to Stay’ at school and will supply you with antigen tests (if you need them) to test your child at home before school. Your school will give you the details about how and when to do this. With a negative result, your child can come to school that day.

You may have questions about details related to this letter and we are still receiving information from the AOE. Please be patient with us as we continue to get answers and share details with you as they are received.

This transition may make some of you anxious and concerned. We have had other transitional moments through the pandemic as we have responded to what this virus throws at us. I assure you that we are being cautious and will do our part to support our families in understanding and following the current health guidance.

This week I heard countless families asking questions and seeking to understand the expectations for testing and returning to school. It is both inspiring and comforting to have confidence in our community. We are taking this one day at a time right now and carefully navigating the cases in our schools. Thank you for your continued vigilance and care.

We will be celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday and it sounds like we will be getting some snow. I hope you are able to get outside and enjoy what may be the first real snowfall of the winter.

Best,

Randi Lowe, Superintendent

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January 2nd

Dear BRSU Families,

As we transition back to school at the start of 2022 we find ourselves in a place similar to where we started the 2021-22 school year. At that time, the Delta variant was surging and we were uncertain how school would be impacted. Now, we return from December break with Omicron spreading through our communities at a high rate. Both the CDC and the Vermont Department of Health are responding to this new variant with changes in practice. We return to school within this context.

We will continue to follow the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and Agency of Education’s (AOE) recommendations. The AOE has extended their guidance to wear masks until after February vacation and we will follow this guidance. The most updated COVID-19 guidance from the VDH is found here.

If you picked up a free antigen test kit for your child, please use the first test today and the second one tomorrow (at least 24 hours from today’s test time). If your child tests positive on either test, schedule your child for a PCR test and keep them home until you receive that test result. As a reminder, our students return to school on Tuesday.

If your child is a close contact, this VDH site provides you with guidance about what to do.

Our contact tracing and testing protocols are expected to change in upcoming weeks. This shift will likely rely more on testing by families and determination of symptoms and timelines for return to school, however, this is not currently in place. We will have our first experience with this as you make decisions if your child has tested positive or was identified as a close contact to someone with COVID-19 over break.

You have demonstrated your commitment to the safety of our schools, students, staff, and each other by following the VDH recommendations, even if you don’t agree with them. Now, more than ever, we need you to continue doing so. We appreciate you having your child tested when appropriate, keeping them home when they are not feeling well, and communicating with the school.

In closing, I want to let you know that I am concerned about our ability to staff our schools in the coming weeks. We had to close one of our schools before break as a result of not having enough staff to operate. It is likely that this will happen again, for a class, grade level, or school, as Omicron makes its way through our communities. Regardless of how severe the virus is, the testing and isolation requirements will likely impact our operations. We will do our best to minimize disruptions, but you should be aware that they may happen. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.

Best,

Randi Lowe, Superintendent