Superintendent Update: Calendar Clarification & Possible Snow Day Information

See below for an update from the Superintendent sent to families and staff Wednesday afternoon.

Snow Day Plan
We are also closely monitoring a potential winter storm that is scheduled for Thursday. All teachers have developed distance learning work for students in the event of power outages that were sent home this week. Please monitor the Rhode Island Broadcasters for school closure information. Thursday morning, we will announce if the day is w/ (with) or w/o (without) Zoom due to power outages on the message. At this time we anticipate returning to in-person learning on Friday, as the forecast looks promising.

• The inclement weather protocol includes a link to sign up for text messages from the RI Broadcasters Association regarding school closures and delays.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Licxr_ZmeaKf_rnWjTi8XvbLNROiyUvgLK6egWQdyBc/edit?usp=sharing

School Calendar Clarification
The distance learning decision for the week of 12/21 is due to the number of districts throughout the closed state and Massachusetts, resulting in our inability to staff our buildings.

RIDE's decision to go distance learning 1/4-1/6 was put in place to build in a natural 10-day quarantine to prevent the increased cases and lack of staffing faced by districts following the Thanksgiving break. For example, Barrington had 10 more cases in the two weeks after Thanksgiving than the entire month of November. As long as the majority of people follow the guidelines put in place by the Governor, we anticipate these three days will allow us to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible.
 
Specifically, we intend to move our elementary learners and 5-day-a-week students back in person as close to January 7 as possible. Our decisions will be based on the following:
●     the high number of cases in Rhode Island;
●   the experiences that we encountered when we returned from Thanksgiving (increases in positive cases and the number of staff that had to quarantine);
●   the number of staff and students that will need to quarantine in early January due to travel restrictions which require a 14-day quarantine;
●     our ability to safely staff the buildings due to staff under quarantine and the limited subs available; and
●     the number of districts who do not return on the 7th resulting in further staffing implications.
 
We acknowledge that the color-coded calendar from the Rhode Island Department of Education caused some confusion. Below is a calendar for your review.

Thank you.
Mike Messore