Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 DESE issues new guidance on contact tracing as part of COVID-19 response in public schools State Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) reports on safety, success of in-person learning he Mass. Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issued the following guidance information to all public schools this week: Thank you for your ongoing T efforts to keep schools open and safe for our students. You have been diligent about imLETTER | FROM PAGE 2 students, improved IEP accommodations, additional technical programs like Biotechnology, Marketing, and Medical Assisting, handicapped accessibility, and a comparable education/environment equality to the new HSMS in Saugus. It cannot be denied that the project is expensive, and the process by which it is proposed, considered, and funded is imperfect. While the project is expensive, it is in line with other current High School projects in the MSBA plementing key COVID-19 mitigation strategies, such as vaccinations, mask wearing, and testing, and we commend you for your hard work. We have now had the opportunity to review available data about our testing program. We are writing to share timely inforpipeline and enjoys an impressive 76.84% reimbursement rate for eligible costs totaling $140.8M, and as Saugus residents were cautioned in 2017 prior to the HSMS vote, the cost of school building projects continues to rise sharply year over year. According to figures provided by the Saugus HSMS Building Committee and the Northeast Building Committee, the potential tax impact, should a debt exclusion pass, would be less than $150 annually (at peak) for the average assessed single family home value in Saugus, THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | FROM PAGE 10 er to access the site. The Town asks all residents to please wear a mask and maintain and respect social distancing from others while visiting the site. Residents may call Lorna Cerbone at the Solid Waste and Recycling Department at 781-231-4036 with questions or for more information. Trash/Recycling one-day Holiday Delay The Town of Saugus announced that the trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay through tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 22) due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone at 781-231-4036 with any questions. Want to be a Knight? The Knights of Columbus is looking for new members to join. If interested in becoming a member of this local organization, please call 781-233-9858. Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus program (Editor’s Note: The following info is from an announcement submitted by Julie Cicolini, a member of the Board of Directors for Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, providing information about the program.) Who we are: Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus (HS2) is a nonprofit group of volunteers who are helping to offset food insecurity in households. HS2 provides students/families who enroll in the program a supply of nutritious food for when school lunches and breakfasts are unavailable to them on weekends. How HS2 can help you: HS2 bags are distributed at school on Fridays to take home. Bags include such items as peanut butter, jelly, a loaf of bread, canned meals/ soups/tuna/vegetables, pasta/sauce, fruit cups, cereal, oatmeal, goldfish, pretzels and granola bars. To sign up go here to complete online form: https://forms.gle/gmMGguycSHBdziuE9. Want to partner with us: HS2 relies on donations to create take-home bags for a weekend full of meals. All food is provided to children free of charge. It is our hope these resources will support the health, behavior and achievement of every student who participates. We would love to mation from those data and as a result offer an updated set of COVID testing options, including a weekly at-home test for participating staff and students, to optimize in-school learning. Review of Statewide Testing Program Data in Schools With over 2,000 schools in the state participating in some form of our current testing program this school year (i.e., symptomatic testing, routine pooled testing, and Test and Stay), we have vs $720 annually (at peak) for the new HSMS. While an additional $150 annually is not insignificant and may be out of reach for some, in my opinion it is a relative bargain. The process of voting the approval prior to the funding, one could argue, puts the cart before the horse, and while the process that Saugus used back in 2017 is better for many reasons, it is simply not an option for a Regional school district per MGL I.XII.71.16. So we must vote the approval on Jan 25 before town-by-town funding can be determined. robust data on the prevalence of COVID-19 in schools. Those data are overwhelmingly strong: Schools are safe environments for teaching and learning. For example, the individual positivity rate in K-12 schools in the state’s pooled testing data reveal case rates significantly lower than the statewide positivity rate. Last week, despite elevated K-12 positivity, the estimated individual positivity rate was still only less than 1/5 Per the MSBA, “a failed local vote likely will result in the school district being required to submit a new Statement of Interest to the MSBA and await a second invitation from the MSBA to enter the feasibility study phase of the MSBA’s process”. This effectively means that the MSBA would pull their $140.8M from the project and use it elsewhere, the project would start again from scratch, delaying it several years, and costs would rise significantly during that time. A YES vote on January 25 is the best approach for partner with organizations, youth groups, PTOs, businesses and individuals to assist in feeding students of Saugus. To learn more about how you can partner with us, visit the Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus Facebook page or email us at HS2Saugus@gmail.com. Checks can also be sent directly to Salem Five c/o Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, 855-5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906. Online donations can also be made at https://givebutter.com/ HealthySaugus. Food Pantry still open The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry continues to remain open between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Fridays despite concerns over the Coronavirus. They have made adjustments to protect their core of volunteers and the needy people who receive the food. For the protection of volunteers & clients, and to limit personal contact and crowding/gathering, the food pantry has been distributing pre-bagged groceries. Even though clients may receive items they don’t want or need, food pantry organizers feel this is the best course of action to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Those in need, even for shortterm or one-time assistance, are encouraged to come. The food pantry is in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church at 50 Essex St. in Saugus. Clarifying some veterans’ issues Jay Pinette, the Veterans Service Officer for the Town of Saugus, wanted to pass along a few words to promote a better understanding of how his office works. “Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) are not VA employees and do not have direct access to VA systems or information,” Jay wrote in an email to us. “Local VSOs are employees of their respective cities and towns. VSOs are generally able to assist veterans and eligible dependents with VA-related claims and benefits activities. “One of the primary duties of the VSOs is to administer a program for veterans and eligible dependents that is referred to as ‘Chapter 115’. Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. CH. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of financial assistance for low income veterans and their dependents. Qualified veterans and their dependents who meet the income and asset eligibility criteria may receive monthly financial benefits that are intended to assist the veteran with housing and living expenses. of the statewide positivity rate (126.7%). On top of these much lower-than-average positivity rates, schools are one of the few types of settings in the state where individuals are tested on a regular basis. Data from our Test and Stay program are equally strong about school safety. Students and staff individually identified COVID-19 | SEE PAGE 16 Saugus, both economically and educationally. In addition to providing a competitive educational environment for our Saugus students, the project would provide 300+ man-years of work for local tradesmen and would have a significant positive impact on our local economy. Please join me in supporting our Vocational students by voting YES on Tuesday, January 25. Chris Riley 7 Oceanview Ave. Town Meeting Member, Precinct 2 “If local Veterans wish to enroll in VA healthcare and/or obtain a VA ID card, representatives from the VA Bedford will be on-site at the Lynn VA Clinic twice a month. The on-site enrollment will be held on the 1 st and 3 rd Tuesday of each month from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Appointments are advised and the dates and times are subject to change. The Lynn VA Clinic is located at 225 Boston Street, Suite 107. For more information or to schedule an appointment for enrollment, call 781-687-3348 or e-mail vabedoutreach@va.gov. “The Veterans Services Offices of Saugus and other surrounding communities have partnered with the Greater Boston Food Bank to hold monthly mobile food markets for veterans. With the closure of the Saugus Senior Center during the pandemic, the food market was moved to Melrose. We have now moved the food market back to the Saugus Senior Center. The veterans mobile food market is held on the third Wednesday of each month. Veterans and eligible dependents must sign up with the Saugus Veterans Service Office to determine eligibility. VSO Jay Pinette can be reached at 781-231-4010 or at jpinette@saugus-ma.gov. Or on the first floor of Saugus Town Hall at 298 Central Street, Saugus MA 01906.” Let’s hear it! Got an idea, passing thought or gripe you would like to share with The Saugus Advocate? I’m always interested in your feedback. It’s been close to six years since I began work at The Saugus Advocate. I’m always interested in hearing readers’ suggestions for possible stories or good candidates for “The Advocate Asks” interview of the week. Feel free to email me at mvoge@comcast.net. Do you have some interesting views on an issue that you want to express to the community? Submit your idea. If I like it, we can meet for a 15- to 20-minute interview over a hot drink at a local coffee shop. And I’ll buy the coffee or tea. Or, if you prefer to continue practicing social distancing and be interviewed from the safety of your home on the phone or via email, I will provide that option to you as the nation recovers from the Coronavirus crisis. If it’s a nice day and the temperature is 50 degrees or better, my preferred site for a coffee and interview would be the picnic area of the Saugus Iron Works.
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