• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • POPS Senior Profiles
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
  • Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley school news: Bias reporting system is back; Vax numbers shoot up; Missing the National Guard

December 2, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Here’s a recap of Wellesley Public School news from this week’s School Committee meeting:

Bias reporting system is back

Supt. Dr. David Lussier recently temporarily rescinded the school system’s bias-based reporting procedures, which are designed to protect students and staff but have come under fire by some in the school community for being too broad. WPS reviewed its procedures to ensure they sync up with recent case law.

The amended procedures are now posted. Though you need special access to see the reporting form.

Vax numbers shoot up

Vaccination rates for Wellesley Public School staff revealed at the Nov. 16 School Committee meeting (see 2-hour, 44-minute mark of Wellesley Media recording) disappointed many in the school community. The Board of Health had questions, too.

Though school officials stressed that the numbers reported are based on those who responded to surveys. If someone hadn’t responded yet, they were marked as unvaccinated for now. Without a vaccination mandate, it’s really difficult to get complete numbers, said Director of Nursing Ashley Hulme.

Hulme said at that meeting 70.4% of its staff at Wellesley High (including teachers, administration, facilities, food service, etc.) was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey sent in September (Lussier clarified that among the teachers and administrators at the school, the number was much higher than 70.4%).  She added that 85% of the 1,400 students were fully vaccinated, that made for 82.9% of the total population being fully vaxxed.  Only 50% of staff at the Middle School was reported as being fully vaxxed.

Since that meeting the schools have put on what Lussier described as a “full-court press” to get more people to fill out the survey.

In revealing updated numbers at the Nov. 30 School Committee meeting (see 19-minute mark of the Wellesley Media recording), Hulme started with “now doesn’t that look better everybody?” She praised the nursing staff for “encouraging” everyone to fill out the survey on vaccination status.

vax stats wps

The numbers will only go up from here as more people report, since those who haven’t reported are currently marked as unvaccinated.

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has extended a masking mandate at public schools through Jan. 15, though some districts are applying for waivers to drop the mandate based on high vaccination numbers.

Missing the National Guard

The week before Thanksgiving was the school system’s last getting assistance from the National Guard in running the COVID-19 surveillance testing program at the schools. The Guard played a key role assisting the schools in light of state resources not coming through as originally promised, Lussier said. “Our state partner has been incredibly inconsistent in providing staff and having staff show up on time,” he said, noting that consistency is key in that pulling kids out of classes to get swabbed has to be choreographed precisely to avoid as much disruption to learning as is possible.

Nurses have been triaging as well as possible, Lussier said. In the meantime, the school system has lobbied for more support from the Guard, but may need to shift surveillance schedules without that help.


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
image_print

Filed Under: Education

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, Lockheart
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs, Wellesley
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Mature Caregivers
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Friday is letters-to-the-editor day on The Swellesley Report
  • UU Wellesley Hills to install & celebrate new minister
  • Wellesley Public Schools news: Last day is official; Advisory won't investigate; Evolutions showcase
  • Taylor Swift Makes a Triumphant Return to Gillette Stadium

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

May 30
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm

Memorial Day observances in Wellesley

Jun 3
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Hemlock Gorge & Echo Bridge guided walk

Jun 4
8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Schofield 5k, Fun Run and Fun Fair

Jun 4
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Hazardous Household Waste & Document Destruction Day

Jun 6
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

2023 Wellesley Democratic Town Committee Caucus

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Ellen on Wellesley Rec to make pickleball rec to schools, NRC
  • Agility on Wellesley’s Cliff Estates gets its turn with proposed condo development
  • Ken O'Connor on Wellesley Dumps Standards-Based Grading
  • not-a-gardener on An hour in a Wellesley garden—it’s up to us to eradicate the dreaded garlic mustard
  • Mary Bowers on Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend Veterans Parade honorees

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
  • swellesley reach ad
  • support swellesley
Rick Cram, leader

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login