Hi all,

Our goal--consistent with guidance from the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Governor--is to fully reopen Map Academy for onsite, in person operations this spring. We remain proud of the way our entire school community--staff, students & families--has navigated this incredibly challenging year, and we are excited that due to a combination of factors, including stabilized in school COVID-19 transmission rates, the availability of weekly pooled and follow up testing onsite, and staff vaccinations in progress, we are positioned to welcome students back onsite more fully in the near future.

As of today, we are planning for a full reopening back to five days/week in person on Monday, April 26, 2021. As required by DESE, a fully remote option will be available for the remainder of the current school year.

Consistent with the latest public health guidance, the following key health and safety requirements will be required for the full return to onsite operations:

1. Mask wearing will remain mandatory for all students, staff, and visitors.
2. Hand hygiene will remain a critical focus area. Map Academy is well stocked with hand soap and hand sanitizer throughout the building.
3. We will aim for 6 feet of social distancing when possible, but will utilize a distance of a minimum of 3 feet.
4. Students and staff will remain cohorted in their assigned studios during the school day to minimize transmission and better facilitate contact tracing when the need arises. There will be no movement of students between studios.
5. Weekly Pooled Testing will continue for all students and staff on Thursdays and Fridays. While not mandatory, this ongoing surveillance testing is a key strategy to ensure the safety of our school community, and we hope that student participation will continue to increase.
6. Onsite BinaxNOW rapid testing will continue to be utilized for symptomatic students and staff, and as a follow up for any positive pool test results.
6. We will continue to work to support our staff and students being vaccinated as soon as they are able. Our staff vaccinations are in progress and our nurse has begun working with eligible students to secure appointments as needed.
7. All of the most recent MA DESE Protocols for Responding to COVID-19 Scenarios will be followed.

As we enter this exciting next phase together, we ask that we do so with the collective understanding that we may need to make adjustments based on COVID-19 rates. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of us or to any staff member.

We invite all students to fill out this survey. If you're under age 18, your parent/guardian will make the final decision about your learning model.

Thanks,

Rachel & Josh