December 21st, 2020

Dear West Boylston Families,

It is no secret that the post-Thanksgiving weeks were a challenge for the district on a number of fronts.  Mounting staff quarantines has impacted the ability to cover classes, and we have recently experienced the first likely occurrence of COVID transmission in a building.  Additionally, the most recent Department of Public Health weekly update (Dec. 17th) has again placed West Boylston in the red for the fourth straight week.  

As the district is concluding 2020 remotely, unfortunately we will begin 2021 in a similar manner.  All grades will continue remote learning from Jan. 4th - Jan. 8th as means of getting ahead of the anticipated next wave of increases in cases, as earlier projections of post-Thanksgiving spike proved to be a reality. The one-week pause in in-person learning is intended to avoid potential disruptions that could occur due to students or staff needing to quarantine due to being a “close contact” of an individual who has contracted COVID-19.  At this time, the Blue Cohort would return to the buildings on Monday, Jan. 11th.  

We are hoping that by making you aware of this decision at this juncture might provide you and your families an opportunity to plan accordingly.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Richard Meagher