Superintendent Greer's Leadership Values & COVID-19 Updates

Superintendent Greer's Leadership Values & COVID-19 Updates
Posted on 08/02/2021

Greetings CPS community -

GreerI am honored to lead Cambridge Public Schools at such a pivotal moment. In this week’s video message, I share more about my personal journey and my personal and professional core values of honesty, respect, equity and inclusion, integrity, and teamwork.

As we continue our shared COVID-19 pandemic journey, I am committed to being transparent about what we know and are learning along the way. Our priority for Fall 2021 is to provide safe, in-person learning for all students.

  1. Will families have a remote learning option for fall 2021? No. The state is not permitting school districts to offer a remote learning model. CPS is planning for full-time, in-person learning for all students. CPS will continue to have clear quarantine plans to support continuous learning and services if a classroom or school must temporarily quarantine due to a positive case.

  2. Will masks be required? On Tuesday evening, the School Committee will discuss my recommendation to require masking indoors for all students and staff for the first semester, (September - January). See below for a summary of the other COVID-19 recommendations.

  3.  How will CPS protect students and staff from COVID-19? CPS will continue to use the robust COVID-19 protections we implemented successfully last year, including comprehensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures. We are continuing to work closely with the Cambridge Public Health Department and our school leaders to monitor the public health situation, gather input from the scientific, medical, and educator experts, and update our policies and procedures as necessary.

See below for current answers to three important questions about remote learning options for families, masking requirements, and COVID-19 safety protocols, and a summary of my recommended COVID-19 protocols for Fall 2021, which the School Committee will discuss on October 3.

As a resident, parent, and educator, I am proud that CPS’s ongoing efforts to prioritize safe, in-person learning for all students. During my first month as Superintendent, I have experienced first-hand our partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department and the experts on the CPS COVID-19 Safety & Facilities Working Group.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue to share more information about Back-to-School 2021. School starts Thursday, September 9 for Grades 1 - 12 and Monday, September 13 for preschool, junior kindergarten and kindergarten classes.

Make it great!

Dr. Victoria L. Greer

School Committee to Discuss Recommended COVID-19 Protocols on Tuesday, August 3
On Tuesday, August 3, the School Committee will discuss my recommended COVID-19 protocols for Fall 2021, based on work by the CPS COVID-19 Safety & Facilities Working Group.

Here’s a summary of the key recommendations:

  • Conduct once-weekly surveillance testing for all students and staff, which is most important for unvaccinated individuals, as well as symptomatic testing.
  • Do not require COVID-19 vaccinations for students. Do require full vaccinations for those participating in CPS-related travel, interns, student teachers, volunteers, and chaperones.
  • Require masks indoors for the first semester. Revisit this policy no later than January based on community public health conditions.
  • Relax most physical distancing and require 3 feet of physical distancing only when masks are off or for higher respiration activities.
  • Require appointments and masks for parents/caregivers, volunteers, and visitors to enter school buildings
  • Permit employee meetings to take place indoors with masks and prohibit food
  • Permit small meetings with families indoors with rooms with at least 4 air exchange rates per hour and with masks. Permit large community gatherings outdoors and with food.
  • Permit walking field trips and field trips requiring a bus ride of 1 hour or less. Required parent/caregiver chaperones to provide proof of vaccination as part of the regular background check process.
  • Require meals to take place outdoors, weather permitting. If meals must take place indoors, require students to maintain 3 feet distance with all students facing in the same direction.

These recommendations are aligned with the guidance from the American Association of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the state’s education and public health agencies, though our masking proposal is more conservative than the state’s requirements.

August 4 | 3-7PM: Vaccination Party at King Open School. Walk-In's Welcome!
Vax Party

Save the Date
Upcoming School Committee Meeting
August 3 | 5PM
Meeting information >>

CPS Community Fairs
September 9 | 10AM - 12PM
October 25 | 10AM - 12PM

In Case You Missed It
July 21: Superintendent Greer’s Entry Plan
July 19: Video Message: Greetings from Superintendent Greer
SY2021-22 School Calendar

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