GREENFIELD — Although the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has shortened the recommended time for isolation for individuals with COVID-19, the Greenfield School Department plans to continue requiring students to stay home for the 10-day period until Jan. 28.
Superintendent Christine DeBarge said per the new guidance from the state, which went into effect Dec. 30, students are expected to stay home for five days following a positive test, with the option of returning to school on day six, provided they have no fever — without fever-reducing medication — and their symptoms have improved.
“We have identified some challenges with that,” DeBarge told the School Committee on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, we have students coming back to school who are still actively symptomatic. … It’s increasing the risk to the school community.”
She noted that in conversations with school nurses, it appears most students who are sick are requiring the 10-day period at home.
“What we are cognizant of is that some people do recover more quickly than others,” DeBarge said. “If a student has gone to get a rapid test … at a testing site, where identifiable information is on the test report … and they have a negative test on or after day six, they can contact their school nurse.”
Additionally, if a student is free of symptoms following day six, they can contact their school nurse, who can arrange to be met outside the building to administer a rapid test.
“If they are negative at the time, they would be able to re-enter school,” she said.
According to DeBarge, the district reported 91 cases this week, compared to 71 cases last week.
“We did anticipate an increase in cases after the winter break, and we have seen those,” she said. “We did not see the exponential increase that we saw between prior to vacation to when we returned. We doubled. We did not see that doubling again.”
Between this week and last week, the portion of the school community affected went from 4% to 5%, she noted.
“We don’t want this many cases, but we wouldn’t have been completely surprised to see a greater increase than what we saw, just based on what we’re seeing at the state level,” DeBarge said.
Partly in response to student absences in recent weeks, midterms for high school students have been canceled next week.
“We’ve heard a significant amount of stress from our students about missing school, because they were getting closer to midterms,” she said. “Some of the students were hesitant to report they weren’t feeling well or potentially were coming back sooner than maybe they should have because of that anxiety.”
DeBarge shared with School Committee members that thanks to the Food Service Department, beginning Tuesday, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch will be available to students who are staying home in quarantine due to sickness. Pick-up will take place at Greenfield Middle School on Federal Street from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Greenfield School Department recently purchased 5,000 KN95 masks for distribution, in addition to 2,000 child-size ones — the latter of which have been delayed in their arrival.
DeBarge explained that over the winter break, the Greenfield School Department received its allocation of KN95 masks from the state, only for DeBarge to learn at the most recent superintendents meeting with DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley that two types of mask were distributed to schools, one less effective than the other.
“The lower efficiency masks had efficiency rating filtration percentages between 24% and 48%, rather than the 87% of the second type of masks,” DeBarge explained. “I ran out to the box to discover we had the lower efficiency masks.”
The masks, including higher efficiency KN95s recently purchased by the district, have been distributed to the schools and can be requested through the nurse’s office.
The allocation from the state comes as DESE announced an extension to the mask mandate in public schools. The requirement, which was set to expire Jan. 15, will now continue through Feb. 28.
“It is not mandatory at this point for any staff or student to wear KN95s,” DeBarge said. “Cloth masks or disposable masks are acceptable, but a suggestion was made — guidance was provided — that it may be advisable to have the higher filtration.”
DeBarge added that the lower filtration masks will still get used, as they reportedly have a higher filtration than cloth masks, for example.
“They’re not going to be harmful to anyone,” she said. “It’s just not what was anticipated.”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne