May 16, 2022
Hello Rockland Public School Community,
COVID activity is high and according to the Mass Department of Health, case activity is likely to continue to increase over the next two weeks. Plymouth County is categorized as a High Risk Community by CDC standards. As such CDC highly recommends masking in indoor spaces.
Masking remains optional in the Rockland Public Schools. For those staff and students who choose to mask, masks are available in your nurses’ offices. We continue to encourage windows to be open and ventilators to be on.
Most importantly, please self monitor for symptoms and test if symptomatic. While symptoms may present mildly to you individually, there may be more significant outcomes for others exposed to you during your infectious period. Symptoms, especially among the vaccinated, are often mild and/or mimic headaches, allergies or exhaustion. Home kits are widely available and we continue our in school PCR testing and At Home Testing Programs. You can register for our Home Testing at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqXJ_GUPMQvU6fX5WI4HSsiZUDwJH-6WQ3V2Klx9_Ax6VS4g/viewform
Please contact your building nurse or Jane Hackett at jhackett@rocklandschools.org if you are having difficulty obtaining a test.
Quarantine for positive cases is only five days from symptom onset or positive test, whichever is first. Only unvaccinated close contacts are required to quarantine. Vaccinated close contacts do not need to quarantine. Attached is a cheat sheet from our Head Nurse Fleur Pang and the up to date DESE protocols. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZIeyK0ceWerkI2Yzial9S82Of12bd5gSsM1WdfYi1_Q/edit?usp=drive_web.
Our current breakdown of cases is outlined below. The Middle School in particular has been struggling with staffing during this wave of activity.
Sincerely,
Alan Cron, Ed.D.
Superintendent