WPS Update: Thanksgiving Travel

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Good evening,

We hope today finds you well. As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday and break, it is important to follow state and CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and limitations on gatherings in order to keep you, your family members, and your children’s educators safe and healthy. We are all in this together, and our ability to sustain safe, in-person learning depends on all of us following the guidelines set out regarding holiday travel.

We care about your safety and the continuity of our students’ learning. If you do elect to travel to areas affected by the Massachusetts Travel Ban, MA guidelines require a PCR test prior to your child’s return to school, or they must quarantine for 14 days. Currently, only Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are on the lower-risk list.

Please note that out of an abundance of caution and to ensure appropriate staffing after the break, all students and staff, including our high-needs populations, will engage in remote learning on Monday, November 30, and Tuesday, December 1. This will allow WPS families and staff who traveled to high-risk states ample time to obtain PCR test results prior to returning to the school buildings on Wednesday, December 2, and still maintain teaching and learning.

If you traveled to a high-risk state and you are not able to obtain a PCR COVID test or while awaiting results, your child(ren) must quarantine for 14 days. Kindly let your school nurse know if you are traveling out of state to any location not included in the lower-risk category so they can support your child’s school reentry.

Separately, prior to our transition to a hybrid schedule at Watertown High School, we are offering free individual baseline testing for all high school students on Monday, November 30. Principal Giacobozzi will be sending out details to students and families shortly. We are looking into options to offer free pooled testing to our middle school and elementary students prior to returning to in-person learning as well--- details to follow. For more information about student testing, please see the following FAQ.

Free testing sites throughout the state are provided through the Massachusetts Stop the Spread initiative.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school nurse or principal.

Kind regards,

Dede Galdston, Ed.D

Superintendent