AGAWAM – Three days after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts, Agawam schools shut down.

From March 13 through the end of the 2019-20 school year, students and staff of Agawam schools had to find a way to hold classes completely remotely.

Pandemic learning was doubly new for Sheila Hoffman, who had to learn a new set of responsibilities as she took office as school superintendent – initially as interim superintendent – on July 1 of that year.

“It’s been interesting, to say the least,” Hoffman said last week. Having to make public health decisions during a pandemic “is nothing that I wanted to do or expected,” but “I always think of the students and staff. Safety comes first.”

In fall 2020, Agawam students returned to in-person learning, adopting a “hybrid” system at a time when many other school districts remained fully remote. Hoffman explained that she and the School Committee worked all year to bring back full-week in-person classes. For instance, kindergarten returned to full in-person classes in November, second graders were added in January, and so on, until the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) ordered everyone back in spring 2021.
Hoffman said when it came time to reopen schools, she listened closely to the national debate on the topic, and made a decision based on data. She recognized her team of principals, directors and central office workers for their assistance, as well.

“Custodians were in classes with tape measures making sure everything was 6 feet apart, the nurses, everybody’s jobs changed,” said Hoffman.

Through all of these changes, Hoffman said no school days were ever canceled as a result of COVID-19.
According to DESE, before the pandemic in October 2019, Agawam had 3,747 students enrolled across the district. In 2020, enrollment dropped to 3,670. The 2021 enrollment figures are not yet available.

Absenteeism has risen during the pandemic, Hoffman said. She said the higher rates seem to stem from medical requirements that patients who test positive for COVID-19 must quarantine for a certain number of days.

She noted that the absentee rate is “getting better.”

Though positive tests are declining, “we are now focused on where students are at emotionally [and] socially,” Hoffman said.

Funding

Agawam schools’ response to the pandemic has included millions of dollars of state and federal aid, and the hiring of new teachers and other staff.

Some of those positions include a new kindergarten teacher at Granger School, adjustment counselors, and a “floater” counselor who can visit any school when “additional support” is needed, Hoffman said.

These positions remain on staff today, though “many are temporary,” as they are not part of the schools’ annual budget and are instead funded by grants, Hoffman said.

Whether they become permanent additions is a question to be addressed in future budget discussions.

“We will wait and see what happens with data and student needs,” Hoffman said.

Agawam also spent its federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants on capital improvements. This included ventilation systems, partnering with various companies, purchasing electronic hardware such as the Chromebooks provided to each student, additional software, and more.

ESSER was used to “fill curriculum needs,” said Hoffman, such as new resources for math learning.
She said the three main focuses were identifying and closing the learning gaps, socio-emotional learning, and building repairs.

Masking

When students returned from February vacation, they were no longer required to wear masks in school, as DESE had lifted a state mandate. Students are still allowed to wear a mask if they choose, or if their parents want them to.

Hoffman said people’s “attitudes seem[ed] happy” when she visited schools last week.

“Many are still wearing a mask and many are not,” she added. “We are respecting people’s opinions. There were a lot of debates [around masking] and people have strong opinions. We want everyone to be respected.”

Testing

In early February, Agawam opted in to weekly at-home testing. This decision was part of a statewide effort that was announced by DESE on Jan. 18 to replace close contact tracing with a “more efficient” measure.

Individual staff and students had to opt in to participate. As of last week, Hoffman said a total of 1,074 staff and students in Agawam are taking the at-home tests.

“We do not have a high participation rate,” Hoffman noted.

Each week, the Agawam schools receive shipments of the tests, where they are distributed to participants to bring home.

Staff and students are able to opt in and join the at-home testing method at any given time.
Additionally, nurses are doing symptomatic testing at school, if they receive parent approval.