Hanover Public Schools Remote Learning Announcement 12/19/20
Earlier this morning, I was notified that Hanover had over 30 community-wide positive test results for COVID-19 from yesterday. About 25% of those affected are students/staff members of HPS, and contact tracing is ongoing today to determine close contacts, isolation/quarantine requirements, and planning for future testing. Hanover has recorded over 120 positive tests this week, and many of those cases have direct connections to our schools.
After consulting with the Hanover Board of Health, and our District Health Services Team, we have decided to implement remote learning for all students on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for the upcoming week. We had hoped the data from this morning would yield different results, but at this rate of COVID-19 increase in our community, we need to take this step out of an abundance of caution. Our students have not been in school buildings since this past Tuesday, and this extra time before the extended holiday break provides us the best chance to help support the slowing of community spread. At this time, we have little evidence of in-school transmission, and I am determined to keep it that way to ensure we can return our students to school after the holidays.
Each principal will contact staff and students/families regarding the learning plans for the days ahead. I fully understand that this decision may be unpopular and is a significant inconvenience for many families. It is also a major disappointment for our students and staff members who want to see each other in person. Please know that this short-term decision has the long-run and the best interest of community health in mind.
I want to extend our support and best wishes to everyone who has been affected by COVID-19. Every day we look at numbers, data, and news about the pandemic. It is easy to get caught up in this process and forget about the local human impact. We must remember that those directly affected by this disease are our friends, colleagues, family members, and neighbors. To those of you who are impacted, we hope you get through this safely and fully as soon as possible. If your family needs support, please reach out to your child’s school nurse.
I wish I had different news to share, but today’s data (and the recent upward trend) cannot be ignored. We will get through this, and there is much to be hopeful about. For now, we need to hit the pause button to move forward successfully in the new year.
Sincerely,
Matt Ferron
Superintendent