NORTH ADAMS â North Adams Public Schools will change its process for switching between hybrid and remote learning, after positivity rate calculations kept students remote for an extra week â even as regional virus levels were falling.
The previous agreement between the district and the North Adams Teachers Association had set a threshold of 3 percent for regional positivity rates, above which schools were required to operate remotely.
When it calculated that metric, the district weighed higher positivity rates in small towns the same as lower positivity rates in much larger municipalities.
That means the districtâs metric remained above the threshold in early February, keeping students remote at a time when the regionâs average positivity rate â if weighted to account for the total number of tests in each community â was actually below the 3-percent mark.
Teachers College Press to Hold Panel on New Book by MCLA Professor
iberkshires.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iberkshires.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
North Adams Schools Creates Panel to Review COVID-19 Plans
iberkshires.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iberkshires.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The School Committee voted to anticipate a potential rise in COVID-19 cases because of holiday gatherings and close the school buildings from Jan. 4 to Jan. 18 next year. The district will return to hybrid learning on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The vote was 5-2, with committee members Emily Daunis and Karen Bond voting against and Ian Bergeron, James Holmes, Tara Jacobs, Heather Boulger and Mayor Thomas Bernard voting in favor. Superintendent Barbara Malkas said the concern was related to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the community seen after the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. With a week and half break coming up and another round of holidays, there is potential for further spread from gatherings.