Maine schools look toward reopening with fewer coronavirus disruptions this fall
Simplified CDC guidelines point to shorter isolation, quarantine periods
Simplified CDC guidelines point to shorter isolation, quarantine periods
Simplified CDC guidelines point to shorter isolation, quarantine periods
Maine public schools are preparing to reopen with new coronavirus protocols, no mask mandates, and lessons learned on how to keep schools open.
In the fall term, unlike last year, all 248 public school districts are expected to be mask optional.
"We've learned a lot about COVID and how it spreads, and how to mitigate the spread, and we don't see the need for that specific, detailed, physical distancing that used to be there," said Heather Perry, superintendent of the Gorham Public Schools.
Long gone are the social distancing arrangements dating back to the hybrid days of the 2020-2021 school year.
Classrooms are reopening five days a week, as they did last academic year, at full capacity, as are cafeterias.
Simplified guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean no more pool testing, and anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 may be able to return to school after only five days of isolation.
Chasing close contacts – and the resulting mandatory quarantines typical last year – stopped last spring.
"We're going to continue that practice of not contact tracing as we open the school year this year," Perry said.
The Maine Department of Education terminated its standard operating procedure for coronavirus on June 30.
Maine Department of Education still recommends vaccinations, testing, staying home when sick, reinforcing proper hygiene and optimizing ventilation.
Maine 710 schools — and its colleges — spent a significant portion of their collective $890 million in federal coronavirus aid on improving air quality.
“Number one, the most important thing is to keep our students and our staff safe,” said Eileen King, executive director, Maine School Superintendents Association. "Our hope is to open school in the most normal way possible."
But for Maine School Superintendents Association’s 130 superintendents, staff shortages remain a concern.
"We had our new superintendents' orientation yesterday," King said. "Many were reporting that their classroom positions were for the most part filled, but their support staff positions and school bus drivers were the ones that they're really continuing to look at."
King said some schools are restructuring their start times to allow bus drivers more time to get students to and from school.
Educators expect fewer pandemic disruptions in the coming year.
“I think we’ve learned a lot more about how to live with it on a daily basis and still operate schools and keep them open even while going through things like outbreaks," Perry said.