South Mountain Annex

SOMSD Community Update: District to Move to “Indoor Mask Optional” Plan for K-12 Schools, Buses and District Office Buildings, Starting on Monday, March 14, 2022

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South Orange & Maplewood School District Community,

Click the link  to view full SOMSD’s “Indoor Mask Option” survey results: bit.ly/3hRqO3Z

Click here to view/download the google doc version of the letter below:  bit.ly/3tL12nw

Dear SOMSD Community,

Based on the updated guidance from the NJDOH and in collaboration with our local health departments, the South Orange & Maplewood School District will move to a “mask optional” plan in our K-12 schools, buses and district office buildings (PreK school communities will continue with mask mandate, further information can be found on the bottom of page 2). This updated plan is effective Monday, March 14, 2022.  

We want to thank our students, staff, and families for following our mitigation measures over the past year and a half. We know it has not been easy. Thanks to your efforts, we have been able to keep one another safe and continue with in-person learning.   We also thank our staff, parent/guardian and student community for your responses to the “indoor mask option” survey and for your patience and continued support as the District sought to implement the best decisions possible to keep our staff and student community safe.  

The survey results can be found in the link above and below we offer a broad overview of the results, based on three key survey questions:

Audience # of Submissions Do you think it’s time for SOMSD to make masks optional indoors?  *If indoor masks were optional, would you still have your child(ren) wear one? (or) would you still wear one? If the District decides to make masks optional, are there any situations where masks should remain mandatory?
Staff 419
  • Yes:  53%
  • No:  32%
  • Unsure:  15%
  • Yes: 43%
  • No: 35%
  • Unsure: 22%
  1. In spaces that hold large indoor gatherings:  66%
  2. Mask should be optional at all times: 34%
Middle School/CHS Students 1,389
  • Yes: 49%
  • No:  35%
  • Unsure:  16%
  • Yes:  47%
  • No:  21%
  • Unsure:  32%
  1. In spaces that hold large indoor gatherings:  75% 
  2. Mask should be optional at all times: 25% 
Parent /Guardians 2,612
  • Yes: 64%
  • No: 25%
  • Unsure: 11%
  • Yes: 28%
  • No: 51%
  • Unsure: 21%
  1. In spaces that hold large indoor gatherings:  51%
  2. Mask should be optional at all times: 49%

We will continue to maintain a safe and thoughtful environment for all students and staff.   We ask that everyone respect one another’s decision, whether they choose to mask or not. In accordance with district policy, harassment,  intimidation, and bullying will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Anyone, including staff or students, who wish to continue wearing a mask will be supported in their choice of doing so. We will encourage our teachers to have conversations with their students around respecting each other’s personal choices.  

We encourage parents to discuss your family’s mask choice with your children, as staff will not be monitoring this.  Please put an extra mask in your child’s backpack for the times that they may need to wear them*.    Disposable masks will still be available in the main office of  each school building. 

*Presently, we will continue to require/request masking:

  1. During large indoor gatherings including, but not limited to, assemblies, plays, art shows, concerts (strongly suggested)
  2. For individuals who are returning to school after COVID-positive isolation on days 6-10 (mandatory)
  3. As recommended by the DOH (i.e., significant increased transmission, outbreak)

As a reminder from our 2/22 communication (link: bit.ly/3h9d04g) one of the mitigating strategies to be discontinued when we shift to a “mask optional” environment is contact tracing by K-12 school nurses and administrators. Operationally and logistically, this NJDOH recommendation is no longer sustainable.   This means:

  1. Families and school communities would only receive a general notice if a laboratory confirmed COVID positive case is reported within their school community; and schools will no longer direct quarantining of unvaccinated  close contacts (or entire classrooms);
  2. Schools will no longer recommend quarantine after travel for unvaccinated individuals;
  3. We will continue the practice of recommending isolation of COVID positive individuals and those with ‘COVID-compatible’ symptoms waiting for a test result; 
  4. Virtual learning will continue to be offered to students who are:
    1.  Unable to attend school in-person due to testing COVID-positive (or)
    2.  Who have COVID-compatible symptoms and are awaiting test results as well as household members of these individuals.  
  5. The school nurses will still be monitoring cases, in partnership with the local DOH who will investigate cases and notify the school district if there is an outbreak. Please continue to report positive COVID test results to your building principal and school nurse.

Please know that the health and safety of everyone in our school buildings is our top priority. As such, we are closely following the recommendations of our state and local health officials.  As these recommendations change, we will adjust our health and safety protocols accordingly. It remains possible that we may need to re-implement our mask policy if the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in our schools or community increase.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s building principal. As always, thank you for your support and understanding.

*Note for Preschool Community:  The mandates for PreK students differ from the K-12 school setting.  As per New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) guidelines and in consensus from our local health departments, if a facility has a population of people that are ineligible for vaccination then masking stays in place as the only other prevention strategy to protect those who are vulnerable.  If and when the NJDOH provides a revised guideline for this age group we will then reach out to PreK families with a similar survey.  Contact tracing will continue for the PreK community (for close contacts of an individual with a positive lab test).

 

Sincerely,

 

South Orange & Maplewood School District

Due to Impending Inclement Weather: All Schools Will Operate on Early Dismissal Schedule for Fri., 2/4

By

SOMSD Community,

Due to the impending inclement weather and potentially challenging driving conditions, out of an abundance of caution, our District will be shifting to an early dismissal schedule for today Friday February 4.  This is to ensure that our students and staff can get home safely.  All after school clubs and CHS sporting activities for today will also be canceled. Students and families enrolled in the YMCA aftercare will receive additional guidance under separate cover, directly from the YMCA.

You can view your school’s early dismissal schedule below or visit the “school hours webpage” – https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/about/hours/

EARLY DISMISSAL HOURS:

 

District to Begin School Year With All-Virtual Learning; In-Person Instruction will Resume on Mon., Jan. 10

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Spanish Translation: bit.ly/3HlsygH |   Haitian Creole Translation:  bit.ly/32qSacO  | Download PDF 

December 22, 2021

Dear SOMSD Community,

As we enter into the holiday and winter break the District, in collaboration with our local health departments (both Maplewood and South Orange) and school nurses, has been closely monitoring our community COVID-19 numbers.   In consultation with these stakeholders and based on NJDOH guidelines, we are committed to make any changes to our protocols and delivery of instruction if needed based on the numbers of positive cases.

Therefore, post-winter break, in order to protect the health of staff and students, we will begin the 2022 school year with virtual instruction.  Beginning on Tuesday, January 4, ALL students and staff will transition to all-virtual instruction.  All staff and students will return to school for in-person instruction on Monday, January 10, 2022.

Thankfully, there has been no evidence of in-school COVID transmission; however, our local community transmission is high and the cases are rising rapidly.  In addition, as we shared in our December 9 community update [https://bit.ly/3oF6wPn] according to the recently released COVID Activity Level Index (CALI) report for the state of NJ, the entire state is now considered as HIGH transmission. 

The recent spike in verified cases in our schools have resulted in hundreds of students shifting to virtual learning due to quarantine. Additionally, dozens of staff members have also had to be isolated due to break through cases. The operations of our schools have suffered greatly, forcing many class coverage shortages and unplanned consolidation of classes. Like many other school districts, we have seen a consistent trend, after each of our school breaks, both Thanksgiving and our fall break in early November there has been a sharp increase in our student/staff population of COVID cases (you can view the District’s COVID dashboard for data: https://bit.ly/SOMSD-Dashboard). 

We understand that this may be a hardship for some of our families and can be disruptive to student engagement; however, the health and safety of our students and staff is paramount. To assist our community in reducing the possibility of additional cases we believe this a prudent and necessary decision as many families will be gathering over the winter break and also traveling to see loved ones. 

On Tuesday, January 4, your child will follow their normal/typical academic schedule during virtual learning and should sign into their CANVAS account to access assignments and google meet links for their classes.  Students who do not join their class via the google meet link will be marked absent.  Some additional important information is below:

  • All after-school clubs will be held virtually;
  • Bagged ‘to-go’ school lunches will be provided at the cafeteria doors and available for pick-up during students’ normal lunch hours;
  • If a District Chromebook was not picked up for your child, you will have to email info@nullsomsd.k12.nj.us to arrange for a device.  [Please note that the District office that distributes Chromebook devices is closed during the holiday break (December 24 through January 3), so pick up will not be possible until January 4]

Important COVID-19 Information:

  • As the District Holiday break is coming up and the District is closed from December 24 – January 3, during this break if your child tests positive as per laboratory test (home-based tests are not valid), please email the principal as per usual procedure (please also be mindful that building administrators are also on holiday break with their families and will not be as responsive to email communications). If you receive a positive result on a home based test, please get a PCR lab based test to confirm. All lab based COVID tests are reported to the local health department and a contact tracer will contact you. Contact the local health department if you do not hear from a contact tracer within 24 hours of receiving your positive test result.  Contact your  healthcare provider for medical advice.
  • If your child develops any COVID-19 symptoms, please contact your health care provider and request the child be tested for COVID-19. Find COVID-19 testing sites: essexcovid.org.  
  • For UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS close contact quarantine is now 14 days from the last date of exposure and there is NO test out option.  Please view the District website for information: [bit.ly/3gwT5N2].
  • Travel guidelines remain the same –  if families travel over the holiday break with unvaccinated children they must quarantine for 7 – 10 days depending on COVID test results.  Please view the 2021-22 SOMSD Return to School Guidebook page 10 https://bit.ly/SOMSDFallGuidebook
  • The District’s MediMobile COVID-19 testing will be open on Wed., December 22 from 4 pm – 6 pm, at the BOE building, 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, District Meeting Room. (Note:  Due to the holiday break, MediMobile will NOT offer testing on 12/25, 12/29 or 1/1). Please visit [bit.ly/C19Test_Vaccine] for more information on testing and vaccination. We are working with our vendor in an effort to add additional testing dates for our community during the week of January 4. Once confirmed we will send out this information under separate cover.

Your actions will affect how well our community prevents the spread of the virus. Please remind your child(ren) to take these steps:

  • Wear a mask in indoor public settings;
  • Limit their interactions to a small circle of friends and family. It is recommended to test prior to any large gatherings, especially if it includes anyone who is high risk.
  • Keep your distance from others. Wear a mask when you cannot maintain social distance;
  • Get tested for COVID-19 if you are experiencing symptoms.
  • Wash your hands, cover your cough, and keep up your best hygiene and sanitation.
  • The District strongly encourages vaccination; if your child is not yet vaccinated, please consider doing so.  

The health and safety of our students is our priority and as we continue to monitor cases locally we will make any necessary adjustments on a case by case basis.  A follow-up communication will be sent to families with additional updates prior to our return to school for virtual learning. 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding. 

Dr. Ronald G. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools

 

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