February 18, 2022
Dear Students, Parents and Staff,
The Cumberland School Committee held its regular meeting last night, one of the items on the agenda was to discuss and/or vote on wearing masks in schools after the statewide mandate is lifted on March 4th. My recommendation to the committee was that mask wearing would no longer be required in our schools and that students and staff may choose to wear or not wear a mask. In a 6-0 vote by committee members, it was decided that mask wearing will be optional for all individuals entering school buildings as of Friday, March 4, 2022 at 5:01 p.m. It is recommended that any individual that is immunocompromised should continue to wear a mask.
I am hopeful that we are now coming to the end of this pandemic and want to give our students an opportunity to participate in more of the normal school day experiences. Therefore, I have informed our building administrators that schools will be allowed to plan for regular school day scheduling, as well as after school social events and activities (i.e., school dances/proms and fundraising events). We will keep all air-infiltration systems in place at all school buildings.
It is expected that everyone will be respectful to each other regarding an individual’s decision on whether or not to wear a mask.
As stated during the meeting, per Federal regulations, masks must still be worn while riding on the school bus. All current protocols will remain the same. Additionally, mask requirements may be required on an individual basis when individuals are allowed to return to school early after testing positive for COVID-19. Individual circumstances should be discussed with your building principal and school nurse.
All of the decisions regarding the easing of restrictions and masking have been made based upon the recent drop in COVID cases in RI and locally Cumberland. If information and guidance from State Agencies change, we will review and consider what, if any, action is necessary.
|
Community Cases per 100k |
||||||
|
Week Ending 1/8/22 |
Week Ending 1/15/22 |
Week Ending 1/22/22 |
Week Ending 1/29/22 |
Week Ending 2/5/22 |
Week Ending 2/12/22 |
|
|
Cumberland |
3,082 |
2,750 |
1,662 |
975 |
493 |
251 |
As always, if your child is experiencing or develops symptoms of illness please keep him/her home and have him/her tested. Visit Portal RI to find a testing site and make an appointment. You can also call 844-857-1814 to schedule an appointment.
2022-2023 Kindergarten / 1st Grade Registration
The online student registration portal is now open for all kindergarten, first grade and any new students entering the Cumberland School Department for the 2022-2023 school year.
Additional information can be found here – 2022-2023 Kindergarten Registration
Vaccination Clinics
The next Cumberland vaccination clinic for age groups 5-11 and 12+ is scheduled for
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at the Cumberland Public Library. You will need to register separately for each age group.
Vaccination Clinics for children and adults – RI Vaccination Clinic Sign-Up
Cumberland Public Library on Saturday, 02/19/2022
1464 Diamond Hill Road, Cumberland RI, 02864
Vaccinations offered: Pfizer-BioNTech Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine (5-11 Year Old)
Vaccinations offered: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (12+)
Age groups served: 12+
Age groups served: 5-11
The Positive Covid-19 Cases in the Schools spreadsheet is provided for your review. It is also available on the District’s website under Quick Links.
Next week is winter recess. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.
Sincerely,
Philip D. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools