Salem Schools Make Free KN95 Masks Available To Students

Salem MA

03 February, 2022

1:33 PM

Description

SALEM, MA — Many Salem students can now pick up KN95 respirator masks at school as the district looks to provide extra mitigation against COVID-19 transmission. Salem school officials said last month that they were working on providing the masks — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said better protect against the spread of the omicron variant than typical cloth and surgical masks — for all staff and students. Superintendent Steve Zrike said this week that those masks have come in for older students, while the district is looking for alternatives for smaller masks after the vendor canceled that order. Students in grades 6 through 12 can get up to five masks from their respective school's main office or teachers. The mask distribution comes amid what Zrike called a "significant drop" in positive cases among students and staff over the past two weeks. "That doesn't mean we still don't have students out and don't still have staffing issues — we've had some challenges," Zrike said during his weekly Facebook Live session. "We're certainly not out of the woods with COVID. But we're headed in the right direction." This is also the week that Salem students will get their first round of at-home rapid tests as part of the new state testing program. Students whose families have enrolled them in the program through ParentSquare will receive their tests Thursday or Friday with the expectation they will use them Sunday or Monday morning and report any positive results to the school. "We're not going to be there holding your hand to know that's happening," Zrike said. "But we're asking you (to do that)." Zrike said more than 500 staff members received their first test packets last week. Students and staff will receive two tests per packet in alternating weeks through at least April vacation. Salem will continue weekly pool testing for those who sign up for it but will discontinue the "test-and-stay" program and most school contact tracing. Zrike said school nurses will still investigate what they believe might be clusters of positive cases in a classroom, but identifying all close contacts of every positive case will no longer be done. He said the district is working with staff on the final stages of implementing a vaccine requirement for all school employees, with limited exemptions, and that the district will continue to reach out to families of students who did not have a record of being vaccinated against the coronavirus. "We want to have a conversation with you to understand if you're interested in having your child vaccinated," Zrike said. "We are trying to make a push to get as many students vaccinated as possible because that will ultimately allow us to — at some point —not to have to use masks (in schools) when we reach a certain threshold." (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)