Salem Schools' COVID-19 Plan To Keep Students On Track While Out Sick

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools developed a COVID-19 absence procedure aimed at helping students who are out for an extended time because of a coronavirus infection stay on track with their coursework.

"So far it's proven to be a less-disruptive year with COVID," Superintendent Steve Zrike said during his Facebook Live session on Thursday. "But we know there will continue to be absences of students for likely five days, at minimum, maybe additional days depending on how the child is feeling related to a COVID illness.

"When this happens we want to support students and families with access to work that they may have missed during this time."

The remote and hybrid learning available over the first two years of the COVID-19 health crisis are not in use this school year, and COVID-19 absences are counted as regular absences, but at the request of the School Committee the administration developed a grade-based COVID absence procedure that can be found here.

Zrike, who relayed the plan to the School Committee on Monday, said it is specifically for COVID-related absences and not intended for vacations and other student missed time.

Students and their families are urged to communicate to teachers that they have tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss multiple days of school, and then do their best to keep up with coursework while they are out.

"Just because they are out with COVID doesn't always mean they can't keep up with the work," Zrike said. "Sometimes they may be positive but they can continue to do work because are not displaying any systems."

The hope to avoid the widespread disruptions and struggles catching up that occurred during the omicron surge last school year.

"We do know the tremendous impact that lost days had on students last year," Zrike said, "especially during the winter months of January, February and March. We had significantly high months of absences of students and we want to minimize that to the extent possible."

Salem Public Schools still encourages all students and families to be vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus and are providing incentives to do so. A COVID-19 vaccine clinic will be held on Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Saltonstall School with all those receiving a shot also receiving a $25 gift card.

Zrike said COVID-19 and flu vaccine clinics will be held at schools throughout the fall with the flu vaccine strongly encouraged as well.

"It's not just important to get the COVID vaccine," Zrike said. "The flu is expected to be pretty strong this fall as students are back in school without masks and activities have resumed."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)