Middle school in full remote until Monday as school district deals with COVID

LACONIA — All students at Laconia Middle School switched to remote learning Wednesday after too many staff members were forced to quarantine because of close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus.

Superintendent Steve Tucker explained the situation to the Laconia School Board during its meeting Tuesday evening.

“Because of the number of staff members who are required to quarantine (Laconia Middle School) will pivot to remote (instruction) through Friday,” Tucker told the board, referring to a notice emailed to parents and School District staff earlier in the day. “The plan is for all grades at LMS to return to class on Monday in the hybrid schedule.”

Between nine and 13 LMS staff members would be in quarantine for some or all of the remaining days of this week, he said.

Exposure to two middle school staff members who had tested positive for COVID-19 prompted the decision to switch all eighth graders to remote learning starting Nov. 23 under the School Board’s COVID response policy.

The school was also notified that a student who was not in school had tested positive for COVID. School administrators concluded no additional change in school operations was necessary because the infected student was not in school and because the entire eighth grade had already been sent home and was engaged in remote learning, according to a memo prepared by Tucker.

Meanwhile, a member of the staff at Woodland Heights School also tested positive. The administration decided that those who had been in close contact with that staff member would need to quarantine for two weeks. However, since Woodland Heights, along with the other four public schools, was already shifting to a hybrid schedule no additional steps or restrictions would be necessary.

Tucker told the board that, because of the number of middle school staff members who needed to quarantine, the school was “thinly staffed,” so switching the sixth and seventh grades to all remote learning was a prudent step to take.

However, School Board member Dawn Johnson disagreed with the decision, saying the risk of others in a school contracting the virus from an infected staff member was “slim to none unless they are showing severe symptoms." Absent that, the quarantine restriction is unnecessary, she said, citing what she said were guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control.

Tucker said the decision was made based on guidance coming from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

"You are following the guidelines from New Hampshire DHHS and not the CDC. There's a difference," Johnson said.

Tucker said the administration’s COVID-related decisions have followed policies the School Board approved in August.

“The challenge which we have is when we have someone who has symptoms and those who have been in close contact,” Tucker told the board. “We need to be ready for that.”

The superintendent noted that some of the teachers are in quarantine while continuing to teach remotely.

Board member Joe Cornier said the administration has to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

“Teachers don’t want to be out. They want to be with the students,” he said. “We need to be flexible to handle this (situation) on a day-to-day basis.”

Following a recommendation from Tucker, the board voted unanimously against making any changes to the school calendar following the Christmas vacation.

The administration had considered the possibility that when students resume classes on Jan. 4. they would be in remote instruction for a time while staff members who had traveled outside New England over the holidays remained in quarantine following their return.

Tucker told the board that at this time no other area school district has plans to go to full remote learning following the vacation period.