By Patrick Adrian
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — SAU 6, the supervisory union for Claremont and Unity School Districts, announced all school-related afterschool and weekend activities until further notice will be cancelled, citing “ongoing concern” over the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
Claremont Schools Superintendent Michael Tempesta issued the announcement Thursday at 4 p.m., sending the message to both school communities via emails and robocalls.
“As an abundance of caution, all afterschool activities at SAU 6, with the exception of extended child care, will be cancelled until further notice,” Tempesta stated. “This includes the senior play at Stevens High School this weekend, all school-related field trips day or evening and community events hosted at schools.”
Additionally, Tempesta said there will be no school for Claremont students on Monday, March 16, so the district can create a precautionary plan in the possible event of a necessary school closure.
Claremont faculty and staff “will use that time (on Monday) to plan lessons and assignments for students for the possibility of school closure in an effort to stem the spread of illness,” Tempesta said. “Additionally, custodians, nurses, and food service workers will use the time for deep-cleaning facilities.”
Tempesta said the message was a follow-up to an earlier message sent at 12:25 p.m., which was an update about the Newport School District that announced early-dismissal of its students for precautionary reasons.
Earlier Thursday, the Newport School District reported that a staff person was currently being tested for COVID-19. The staff-person — who was later diagnosed with the flu, not COVID-19 — had minimal contact with students, but the district said it would use the early dismissal to monitor the situation and conduct a deep cleaning of the school building.
According to Tempesta’s early message, the Newport staff person did not work at the Sugar River Valley Technical Center, which some Claremont and Unity students attend.
Tempesta told the Eagle Times that he has been in communication with other superintendents, Claremont City Manager Ed Morris and Claremont Fire Chief Bryan Burr — the city’s emergency management director — to take safe and reasonable precautions and inform the public.
“You don’t want to overreact,” Tempesta said. “You don’t want to close the schools unless you have to.”
Tempesta said that cancelling trips or school-related events is “heartbreaking” to youth, so it is not something he takes lightly.
On Monday, March 9, Claremont kept its schools open, despite learning the previous morning that a Maple Avenue Elementary School employee possibly had contact with a person who later tested presumptively positive for COVID-19. Tempesta said that several factors enabled the district to deem it safe to open schools. The district was informed early enough to gather details and assess the situation. Additionally, the school had been closed for winter break Friday, Feb. 28, and the schools had been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized during the break.
On Thursday, Tempesta, Morris and Burr released a joint-statement updating the community about the virus on the Claremont city website and Facebook page, which officially launched this week.
“The city and school systems continue to monitor COVID-19 virus through our state and county partners,” the statement reads. “We are continually working with the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to pre-plan the city and SAU 6 response to an increased spread of the virus.”
State health and emergency agencies continue to recommend that the public follow the guidelines prescribed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to stop the potential spread. These recommendations include: frequent hand washing with soap, or alcohol-based hand sanitizer as a secondary option; staying home when sick; avoiding close contact with people who are ill; cleaning and disinfecting touched surfaces and objects; covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue; and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
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