Swampscott Schools Mulls Sports Coronavirus Pool Testing Mandate

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott School Committee will consider a recommendation for mandatory pool testing for athletic teams as a way to help identify asymptomatic coronavirus cases before extensive quarantines are necessary.

Citing last year, when Superintendent Pam Angelakis said outbreaks at the high school were often traced back to athletic teams, there was a recommendation while testing will be voluntary for the student body as a whole, athletes would be required to test regularly as a condition of participation.

"Let's cut to the chase here," Superintendent of Schools Pam Angelakis said. "The majority of our outbreaks last year came through athletics. I believe this translates. I don't want the community to be panicking that this is every after-school club and activity. We feel like it's important for pool testing in the athletic department.

"That's something we are asking the committee to consider because that was where the cases were and where we had huge outbreaks."

The School Committee did not vote on the proposal Wednesday night with a plan to continue the conversation at a future meeting.

The debate comes as fall athletes have already returned to fields across the state for preseason conditioning and practices over the past week.

Unlike last year, however, when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association adopted an extensive list of state recommendations on rule modifications, masking and distancing protocols, there are nearly no additional virus mitigation measures this year.

MIAA Executive Director Bob Baldwin issued a statement on Thursday saying that athletes and coaches must follow Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidelines requiring masking indoors at all times through at least Oct. 1 and that they are "not required and will remain optional for student-athletes and coaches outdoors."

Fall indoor sports include girls volleyball and girls swimming for some schools. Since masks are now required in school buildings for all vaccinated or unvaccinated teachers and students statewide, that would apply to student-athletes in all sports when practicing indoors or while in locker rooms.

But once outside on a football or soccer field there are no statewide guidelines and none planned.

"Currently, there are no active conversations about additional restrictions," MIAA Communications Director Tara Bennett confirmed to Patch this week.

Swampscott Schools Occupational Health Nurse Amanda Mulcahy said with 70 percent of Swampscott High students participating in athletics that type of surveillance testing program would be helpful in catching asymptomatic cases and preventing outbreaks.

"That's keeping the sports open," she said. "That's keeping their social activities alive. This year we are really pushing for that social-emotional wellbeing."

Salem Public Schools is reinstating its weekly testing mandate for participating in athletics. The Salem School Committee also unanimously approved a vaccination mandate for "high-respiration extracurricular activities" in which all students 12 and older participating in sports, band, chorus or drama must either show proof of vaccination or must both wear a mask while participating in those activities both indoors and outdoors, and must provide proof they have consulted a health care professional on vaccinations.

"Last year we did have to shut down sports repeatedly because of COVID and close contacts," Mulcahy noted.

"A mandate in that arena makes sense," Angelakis added.

Testing for all other students would be voluntary, but Mulcahy noted that this year those considered "close contacts" of a positive case while in school will have the option to undergo "Test to Stay" daily testing, which will allow them to stay in school as long as they test negative for five straight days and show no symptoms.

Vaccinated students and staff are exempt from the testing protocol as long as they remain symptom-free.

Unvaccinated students who are not enrolled in the "Test to Stay" program will have to quarantine for 10 days regardless of symptoms like last year.

Angelakis said that because there is no remote learning option or Zoom teaching, "the consequences (of a quarantine) are different this year."

The School Committee did not vote on the indoor mask proposals that drew extensive public comment at last week's forum after DESE released the new guidelines requiring masks indoors for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status for at least the first month of the new school year.

"The School Committee and the administration recognize that this is a polarizing issue," Committee Chair Amy O'Connor said in a statement starting the three-hour meeting. "We acknowledge those among us who see it as an infringement on their rights. We acknowledge those among us who see it as a (collective) responsibility."

She then thanked Swampscott parents and residents for keeping the conversation and emails civil at the forum and in subsequent communication despite very passionate opinions.

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(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.)

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