Dear RPS Community,
I am thrilled to report that the Commissioner of Education has announced that effective Monday, February 28th the statewide mask mandate for schools will be lifted. Therefore, effective Monday, February 28th, masks will no longer be required in the Rockland Public Schools. Per federal regulations, masking will still be required on all buses, including field trips and extracurricular activity transportation.
Two important reminders:
At-Home Testing Program is available and you can opt-in at this link to receive At Home Test kits for use on Sunday evenings: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqXJ_GUPMQvU6fX5WI4HSsiZUDwJH-6WQ3V2Klx9_Ax6VS4g/viewform
Vaccination Clinic is Friday, February 11th, from 3-7 PM at the Rogers Middle School. This is open to all ages 5 and up for first shots and/or boosters (five months after your second shot). Registration is required at: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/transformativehealth?calendar=b4aa49a3-0eca-45ec-bab1-7a0f54c587f8
The lifting of this mandate is a major step towards normalcy. However, there may be some students and staff who feel more comfortable continuing to wear masks. It is also possible that when the detailed guidance is released that situations will exist that require or strongly encourage the continued wearing of masks, such as day 6-10 following a positive test result. We will forward the state guidance as soon as it is received.
We will continue our free PCR and rapid testing program for symptomatic individuals. I also continue to encourage everyone to stay home if they are not feeling well and to contact their doctor or building nurse to schedule testing.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Alan
Alan H. Cron, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
34 MacKinlay Way
Rockland, Massachusetts 02370