With students returning to classes in less than a week, school boards in this area have been wrestling with how to reopen safely, as those health and safety decisions can be made on the local level this year. While COVID-19 restrictions had been eased after many people were vaccinated, the delta variant is spreading, and face coverings are now recommended in public indoor settings in Washington County. During the last school year, the wearing of masks was mandatory, but a number of school boards in the region are making them optional this fall. Also, the remote-learning option has been eliminated by a number of boards. However, a new safety measure, pool testing, will be implemented in some area schools.
     At its August 18 meeting, the Eastport School Committee voted to implement pool testing for COVID-19 for both the Eastport Elementary School and Shead High School, with letters explaining the benefits, along with permission slips, to be sent to parents. The board also voted 3-1, with Walter Cummings, Melissa Lawrence and Jessica Andrews in favor and Cynthia Morse opposed, to make mask wearing optional, to have a regular school day and to continue with social distancing, temperature checks and sanitizing and hygiene measures. It was noted that the board can revisit the policy at any time during the school year, if COVID-19 cases start increasing.
     After an initial vote to not provide for remote learning, the board revisited the issue following some discussion and voted 4-0 to allow remote learning at only Shead High School, with guidelines to be established by the administration. Principal Paul Theriault will provide the board at its September meeting with a document that outlines the remote-learning compact between the school department and students.
     During the discussion, board member Melissa Lawrence said she felt that remote learning takes away from classroom time for students who are in school. "I feel all students lost out" last year, she said, as classroom time was used to handle technical issues for students learning remotely on their computers at home. Cummings also did not want to see distance learning be the norm and felt that a legitimate reason should be given for allowing a student to learn remotely, but Theriault said it is good for the schools to be able to offer a remote-learning option for older students. Morse noted that students learn in different ways, and some parents who want their children home-schooled may decide to send them to Shead if remote learning is possible.
     As for wearing masks, Morse and some members of the audience felt that they should be required, as the health and safety of students should be paramount. However, Lawrence said that the face coverings made learning challenging for many students. Superintendent Ken Johnson noted that in some districts parents are requesting that their students be allowed to attend another school that has the masking requirements they prefer. Theriault observed that there had been no outbreaks of the flu in any school in Maine last year because students and staff were wearing masks. He also noted that there can be bullying of those students who do wear masks.
     All of the AOS 77 elementary schools and Calais and Machias high schools have opted for having face masks be optional this fall. The Edmunds Consolidated School and Sipayik Elementary School are requiring masks. Face coverings do have to be worn on school buses.
     With pool testing, the same groups of students, at least 30% of the student body, will be tested for COVID-19 each week, in order to limit how many students would have to be quarantined if there are any outbreaks. Students will do their own nasal swabs, under supervision. There is no cost to the schools to have students tested, but parental permission is needed. Along with Shead, Calais High School and Washington Academy have decided to do pool testing.
     The Maine Department of Education is recommending mask wearing in schools regardless of vaccination status; placing an emphasis on vaccination of staff and students; offering in-person instruction; and pool testing of students. While there is not yet a requirement for school employees to be vaccinated, Johnson noted it is strongly recommended. He told the board that there are more positive COVID-19 cases, including among those who have been vaccinated, in Washington County in recent weeks. Also, the delta variant is affecting children to a greater degree.
     Students will be returning to the Eastport Elementary School on Wednesday, September 1, the same day that Shead will open for freshmen. Grades 10 through 12 students will return to school the next day.

Other business
     With the resignations of two custodians, Amanda Cox and Clayton Green, the Eastport schools have two full-time custodial positions open. Theriault noted that he was concerned about the work that needs to be done during the summer at the schools, although he assured the board it will get done. Discussion ensued about how students, through community service work, could help out. Johnson stated that every school in AOS 77 is struggling with support staff issues because of the competitive environment over wages among area businesses.
     Along with the appointment of Danielle Wheeler as an ed tech III, the following coaches have been appointed: Robert Sanchez, junior high soccer; Ronald Sullivan, Shead boys' soccer and golf; Dana Bowen, Shead girls' soccer; and Connie Knight, Shead cross country.
     The board approved an adult breakfast price of $2 and adult lunch price of $5, the same as last year. No bids were received for installing a generator at Shead, and the sole heating fuel bids for the schools, $2.69.9/gallon from Eastern Plumbing and Heating, was accepted.
     In his principal's report, Theriault stated that so far there are 27 students in the freshman class, including 16 tuition students, with only 10 having been anticipated at the end of the school year. He noted that the Shead leadership team is fine-tuning the school's brand this year, as the school continues to work on letting people know "all the great things we are doing at Shead." In order to help retain students, he said that staff will be speaking with students, particularly incoming freshmen, to find out what their concerns are.
     Both the summer school, with 40 students participating, and the summer baseball program with volunteer coach Ron Sullivan were successful. High school sports seasons have begun, and preliminary discussions are being held for elementary school soccer and cross country seasons. A seasonal resident of Campobello, Dennis Blythe, has donated both equipment and funds for the golf program at Shead.
     Susan Potters from the Maine Alliance for Arts Education along with English language arts educators from around the county were at the Eastport schools for two days to work with specialists on arts integration into the curriculum. The initiative is sponsored by the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Department of Education.