The Manchester Essex Regional School District will be closed through at least March 27, 2020. On Monday, March 13, 2020, you will be receiving additional information form you building principals on our plans and timeline for providing educational continuity.This is a fluid and quickly evolving situation. MERSD will continue to update the community as we receive information and our plans evolve. Should you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us, and we will do our best to assist you.
Sincerely,
Pam
Pamela Beaudoin, Superintendent
Manchester Essex Regional Schools
beaudoinp@mersd.org
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Superintendent’s Blog
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North Shore Schools to Close Starting Monday
Schools to Close through at Least March 27
The North Shore area
superintendents have collaborated to make a timely and unified decision about
school closure that they feel is in the best interests of their faculty, staff,
students, and families. This decision was made after significant conversations
among school leaders, local public health officials, and state officials. State
officials have today urged that municipalities should make decisions based on
their local circumstances, and given the rapidly changing COVID-19 crisis,
which the World Health Organization has this week labeled a global
pandemic.
The following districts have
mutually decided to close schools through at least March 27:
- Amesbury
Public Schools
- Beverly
Public Schools
- Chelsea
Public Schools
- Danvers
Public Schools
- Essex
North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
- Everett
Public Schools
- Georgetown
Public Schools
- Gloucester
Public Schools
- Hamilton-Wenham Regional School
District
- Haverhill
Public Schools
- Ipswich
Public Schools
- Lawrence
Public Schools
- Lynnfield
Public Schools
- Manchester
Essex Regional School District
- Marblehead
Public Schools
- Masconomet
Regional School District (Middle/High Schools of Boxford, Middleton,
Topsfield)
- Methuen
Public Schools
- Nahant
Public Schools
- Newburyport
Public Schools
- Pentucket
Regional School District (Groveland, West Newbury, Merrimac)
- Rockport
Public Schools
- Saugus
Public Schools
- Swampscott
Public Schools
- Triton
Regional School District (Newbury, Rowley, Salisbury,)
- Tri-Town
School Union (Elementary schools of Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield)
- Wakefield
Public Schools
- Whittier
Regional Vocational Technical High School
- Winthrop
Public Schools
Leadership for all 28 school
districts have decided to close their school facilities beginning on Monday,
March 16 through Friday, March 27. School district leadership will continue to
re-evaluate the situation on a day-by-day basis.
The school leaders held a
conference call today after a lengthy call with the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
During that call, no determination was made by the state on widespread school closure.
The superintendents in this region have consulted with health experts and their
own municipal public health agents in reaching a decision that, while
difficult, is in the interests of the safety and wellbeing of their
communities, which is paramount at all times.
The decision to collectively
close schools on the North Shore area has been made after significant
consideration and in an effort to proactively address the evolving novel
coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.
The Department
of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) is advising districts
throughout the state this morning to cancel or reschedule gatherings of 250
people or more and to limit instances where students, faculty, and staff are
closer than 6 feet away from each other. While DESE is not explicitly advising
districts close at this time, due to the concerns regarding the spread of this
virus among crowds, area superintendents feel it is prudent to close their
facilities temporarily. District leaders additionally encourage students and
staff to avoid being in large crowds of people in order to further prevent the
spread of the virus.
Massachusetts school districts
have been informed that no district will have to go past June 30 and that
school districts will not have to go beyond their planned 185th day of school,
regardless of the COVID-19 situation.
Each district will additionally
provide updated information through their websites and individual communication
channels to their communities as more information becomes available.
The following is a statement from
the superintendents in the 28 districts:
“The
health and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff are of the utmost
importance to us all on the North Shore, and as a result, we’ve collectively
decided to close our school facilities for the next two weeks. This is being
done in an effort to proactively address the evolving COVID-19 situation. We have
each been in close communication for months now with our local and state health
officials to ensure we’re following their recommendations for preventing the
spread of this virus.
“We
believe by closing our facilities for this period of time, we will have a
positive impact on preventing the spread of this virus and promoting public
health and safety by creating a united response to this situation.”
Symptoms of the virus include
fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and can appear between two and 14 days
after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). Anyone who experiences symptoms and believes they may have the virus is
advised to contact their health care provider. For more information from the
CDC for those who may have the virus, click
here.
The North Shore superintendents
also wish to encourage students and staff to follow recommended preventative
steps from the DPH:
- Practice
good hand hygiene! Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least
20 seconds including under your fingernails. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
(at least 60% alcohol content) can be used when soap and water are not
available.
- Keep
your hands away from your face.
- Cover
your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing with a tissue and discard
it immediately. Cough into the sleeve over your elbow instead of your
hand. Wash your hands often when coughing and sneezing.
- Stay
away from people who are sick and stay home when you are sick.
For more information, visit the
DPH website by clicking
here and the CDC’s website by clicking here.
