EAST LONGMEADOW – Discussion centered around the ongoing state of COVID-19 during the East Longmeadow School Committee meeting on Oct. 4.

Superintendent Gordon Smith opened the meeting by discussing the latest updates in the Department in Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) pandemic protocols. He revealed that DESE has extend its mask mandate for schools across the state until Nov. 1. However, schools within the district are able to waive the mask mandate starting on Oct. 15 if those schools have reached an 80 percent vaccination rate for students and staff, according to Smith. DESE’s new rule will only impact older students, as students in grades preK-5 are still not eligible to receive the vaccination.

The superintendent detailed his plan to retrieve accurate vaccination rate data across the district. While there is a database record of student vaccinations, Smith said East Longmeadow is having staff voluntarily submit their vaccine records to school nurses. He explained that nurses will compile the data on a confidential spreadsheet to give the district a strong idea of where they stand regarding each school’s vaccination rate. “It will allow us to calculate where we stand with staff,” said Smith.

Nursing director Kelly Labombard spoke about vaccination data across the district. She revealed that 62 percent of high school students are fully vaccinated, with 58 percent of seventh and eighth graders also being vaccinated across the district. At Birchland Park Middle School, only 34 percent of students and staff are vaccinated due to younger students’ vaccine ineligibility, according to Labombard. Committee member Gregory Thompson expressed doubt about school’s ability to reach the goal rate, arguing that there has been a decline in vaccinations as of late. “I think [the district] is maxed out. People who were going to get it already got it,” said Thompson.

The School Committee then discussed updates regarding staff’s professional development. Director of Curriculum Heather Brown showcased a presentation detailing district-wide changes to development days, including the addition of social and emotional learning for teachers. “[The programs] really work on providing practical strategies for building working relationships with all students,” said Brown. Other programs, such as Developmental Design and the LETRS training, will be provided for younger students as a means of ensuring equitable education, according to Brown.

Preliminary capital spending for the district over the next five years was also a point of discussion. While the superintendent detailed a strong track record of funding recent projects, including newly renovated classrooms for Meadow Brook Elementary School, committee members expressed doubt over the district’s ability to fund the infrastructure improvements needed to keep school buildings up to date. “I just think we need a better way. The buildings continue to age, and we continued to plead our case…I just don’t think there’s enough funding for the buildings,” said Thompson.

Before concluding the meeting, the School Committee unanimously approved a new contract for Smith. The contract will begin on Jul. 1, 2022 and conclude on Jun. 30, 2027.

The East Longmeadow School Committee will meet again on Oct. 19.