To All North Andover Parents/Guardians and Staff:

Given the recent increase in Covid cases, close contacts, and those having to quarantine in both the region and our own community, and based on the recommendations from Brian LaGrasse of the North Andover Health Department and our Director of Health Services, Cheryl Barczak, we have decided to have the whole district (all cohorts, A, B, C, and D) go remote for the three remaining days we have before the break. This means that all cohorts will be online at the same time with their teachers for all three days except for kindergarten and preschool students. Kindergarten students will follow their regularly scheduled cohort schedule (AM 8:35-10:50) (PM 12:50-3:05) and full day preschool programs will follow their regular school day schedule. Principals will follow up this message with further instructions specific to their schools.

We do not enter into this decision lightly, but based on current numbers, we believe this is the decision that is the best for our students, staff and community. At this time, we still plan to return to the in-person hybrid model on January 4, 2021, but we will monitor the situation over the break and notify you of any necessary changes to this plan. In addition, given the size of the cohorts involved and the protocols in place, the previously approved high school athletics will still be starting on Monday, December 21. 

In a related matter, we have received the results of the second set of air quality tests. The first measurements were conducted before students returned to school, so we wanted to get a set of measurements with people in the buildings. The full report will be posted on our website, but I wanted to highlight two things, 1) in some of our schools there were higher levels of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) which TRC indicates is not surprising to find with increased use of disinfectants and sanitizers. They recommend we continue to check the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) on all our products and allow as much drying time as possible after disinfecting, and 2) a handful of classrooms out of the 89 tested had higher levels of CO2. TRC indicated they were still within ASHRE guidelines, but just something they suggest we have our facilities department take a look at to ensure the system is functioning as efficiently as it can be. Again, there was nothing in the test results that concerned TRC, and they indicated that our buildings are suitable for occupancy.

We want to thank everyone for all you have done to help us reach this point in the year in our in-person hybrid model. With your continued diligence in following the guidelines and limiting group interactions, we hope to be able to continue with in-person instruction coming out of a much needed break.

Please stay safe, and here's hoping 2021 is a great year for all of us.

Respectfully,

Jim Mealey, Assistant Superintendent

Brian LaGrasse, North Andover Health Director

Cheryl Barczak, School Department Director of Health Services