The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Covid-19*

Lincoln mirrors national surge in Covid-19 cases

After months of single-digit weekly Covid-19 case numbers, Lincoln’s caseload shot up in the last two weeks of 2021, with 15 cases for the week ending December 23 and another 29 cases in the following week. This is the biggest two-week total since the beginning of the pandemic, surpassing the 27 cases seen in the last two weeks of 2020.

The spike mirrors that of neighboring towns as well as the rest of Massachusetts and the U.S. Over the same time period, Carlisle has recorded 73 positive cases, and there have been 190 in Concord, according to Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean. Local public health officials are responsible for tracking and contact tracing Covid-19 cases, but the state Department of Public Health recognizes that local boards of health don’t have the capacity to follow this surge “and suggests we try to focus on priority groups such as K-12, congregate living situations, daycares, and the like,” she said on December 31.

Massachusetts DPH figures show the distribution of Covid-19 cases in Massachusetts by age for the week ending on December 31.

“That being said, the ones that I do contact generally have mild to moderate symptoms,” McGean continued. “Transmission often happens when groups gather, so I expect more and more cases each day after this holiday week.”

The omicron variant spreads three times as fast as previous variants, so once one family member tests positive, the virus often jumps quickly from one person to another, and “this is where I’m seeing most of the transmission in the cases I interview. One household case turns to two turns to three all in a matter of days,” she said.

McGean could not immediately provide data on the ages of those who have tested positive in Lincoln, but statewide, 40% of cases in the last two weeks of the year were in adults age 20-39, according to DPH figures.

Lincoln schools are reopening on January 3 after the holiday break with “heightened attention to known, effective precautions,” Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said in a letter posted to LincolnTalk on December 30 by School Committee member Susan Taylor.

All student after-school activities are cancelled for the week, and families are asked to reinforce symptom checking and mask wearing. Teachers and all school employees were instructed to self-test before arriving to work Monday and will wear state-issued KN95 masks at all times indoors. School and health officials will reassess following the results of weekly pool testing, McFall said.

“I recognize that it is concerning that we are returning to school under conditions of increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases. This is not surprising, and while the numbers are higher, we are following a trend similar to last year at this time with a spike in cases following the holidays. If the pattern holds, we can hope to see a large decrease in cases at the end of January,” McFall added.

Since the start of the school year, the Lincoln Public Schools have recorded 82 cases of Covid-19 (68 students and 14 staff), according to the LPS Covid-19 dashboard. That includes nine cases each in September and October, 29 cases in November, and 35 in December. Sixty-one cases were on the Hanscom campus and 21 on the Lincoln School campus.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Covid-19 dashboard says there have been almost 60 cases of Covid-19 among faculty and staff as of January 3, up sharply from 17 during the week ending December 29. 

Federal and state health officials have issued new isolation and quarantine guidelines for those who test positive or are exposed to someone with Covid-19. Regardless of vaccination status, anyone who tests positive is required to stay home for five days. If they have no symptoms or the symptoms are resolving after that time, they can leave the house but must wear a mask when around other people for another five days.

McGean said there is no concrete threshold for closing the schools and moving to remote learning in the event that cases in town continue to rise sharply in coming weeks. Any such decision will be made after discussion among McGean, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, the Lincoln Board of Health, the state epidemiologist, and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Register for State of the Town online meetings

Lincolnites can now register to attend the Zoom-based Sate of the Town meeting on November 1-2 from 7–9 p.m. on both nights.

SOTT #1 (Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.)

  • Public Health Update
  • School Building Project Update
  • Finance Committee Update
  • Community Center Discussion
  • Open Forum

Zoom advance registration link (night 1)

SOTT #2 (Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.)

  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism (IDEA) Initiative Update
  • South Lincoln Planning Update
  • Climate Action Planning Committee
  • Open Forum

Zoom advance registration link (night 2)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For more information on the issues, see the Selectmen’s Fall 2021 Newsletter.

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Covid-19 vaccination clinic for everyone 12+

To protect younger children and keep schools open, the Lincoln Public Schools is offering a second Covid-19 vaccine clinic (Pfizer first send second doses) for anyone age 12 and up on Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 2–5 p.m. in the Reed gym. Drop-ins are welcome, or click here to schedule an appointment. Children under 18 do not need to have a parent/guardian with them at the time of vaccination but they will need to bring a signed consent form (click here to download).

Free social worker sessions for kids offered  

After a successful summer pilot program, the Council on Aging and Human Services (with help from the Board of Health and the Lincoln Public Schools) has arranged for a social worker to be on the school campus in the Hartwell building every Wednesday afternoon/early evening during the school year. This is a totally free service. Parents can call the COA&HS at 781-259-8811 to ask questions and book appointments. All appointments with Sara Hickey, MSW, LCSW, of Eliot Community Human Services are completely confidential. While appointments are held on school grounds, clinic participation information is not shared with the schools or any other town department.

Registration open for L-S adult ed classes

Lincoln-Sudbury Adult & Community Education offers courses for all interests and ages. Check out the offerings at LSRHS.net/community/adult_ed. Questions? Email adult.ed@lsrhs.net or call 978-443-9961 x3326.

deCordova offers Julia Child operetta, clay workshops

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is hosting “An Evening of Jazz and Julia” on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. Mezzo-soprano Vanessa Schukis portrays 20th-century culinary icon Julia Child in composer Lee Hoiby’s “Bon Appétit!” in a humorous 25-minute one-act operetta, accompanied by pianist Scott Nicholas, based on two episodes from Julia Child’s popular cooking show in which she concocts a chocolate cake. The event will take place in deCordova Cafe. Click here to purchase tickets, which include Julia Child-inspired snacks and beverages.

The deCordova is also offering an outdoor family-style workshop where participants can make clay soap dishes on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 1–2:30 p.m. All levels welcome. Click here to register, or click here to see details on other events at the deCordova.

Walden Woods Project fall events

“Determined to Know Beans: A Historical and Biological Exploration of Thoreau’s Beanfield,” an interpretive walk to Thoreau’s beanfield with historian Richard Smith and biologist Dr. Amity Wilczek, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 11–12:30 p.m. at the Walden Pond State Reservation. The presentation will focus on how the beanfield looked during Thoreau’s time and how it has changed.  Discussion will include the plants that Thoreau would and would not be familiar with, including invasives. Click here to register.

Also this fall: “A Virtual Lyceum: The Art of Perception” on Thursday, Oct. 21 from 7–8:30 p.m. and “Now Comes Good Sailing: A Virtual Conversation” on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 7–8 p.m.

Chamber music concert at the Pierce House

The Concord Chamber Music Society presents a special outdoor concert at the Pierce House on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. with the Parker Quartet. The performance (the first hosted by CCMS since March 2019) will feature the Adagio from String Quartet No. 1 by Adolphus Hailstork, the String Quartet No. 1 in A Major by Robert Schumann, and the String Quartet No. 1 “From My Life,” by Bedrich Smetana. Proof of vaccination will be required for admission, and masking is mandatory for tent seating and inside the Pierce House.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.concordchambermusic.org or by calling 978-405-0130. Seating beneath the tent is $50 and $40 for adults and seniors 65+ respectively. Lawn tickets will be offered at the door (weather permitting) on the day of the concert for $20, and patrons will need to bring their own chairs and/or blankets. Patrons may present their ticket stubs at the Trail’s End Cafe in Concord ollowing the concert for a 15% discount off of dinner; advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Group marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month with purple lights, walk, vigil

At any given time in Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln, and other similar towns, there are 20–40 restraining orders in effect, indicating a judge has found significant evidence of violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and this year the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will again partner with the First Parish in Wayland and the Lauren Dunne Astley Foundation to shine a light on the issues related to domestic and breakup violence. On Tuesday, Oct. 5, walks will commence from several points in Wayland arriving at First Parish in Wayland (225 Boston Post Rd.) for the Shine a Light Vigil at 7 p.m. Visit www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org for walk locations. Purple signifies courage and compassion, and purple lights will illuminate religious and civic buildings in Sudbury, Wayland, and Framingham throughout the month. In addition, community members are invited to place purple light bulbs in their window fixtures, lamp posts, or porch lights. If you or someone in your life might be experiencing relationship abuse, local support can be found here.

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Covid-19 vaccine clinic on Tuesday for those 12 and up

There will be a Covid-19 vaccination clinic at the Lincoln School for children 12 and up, as well as anyone else eligible for a vaccination, on Tuesday, Aug. 31 from 1–4 p.m. in the Reed gym. Children 12-18 do not need to have a parent/guardian with them, but they will need to bring a Lincoln Schools Vaccination Consent Form that’s been printed, completed and signed by a parent. Children attending Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, private school, or home school are welcome. For those receiving their first dose at this clinic, another clinic for second doses will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 2–5 p.m.

Youth soccer starts Sept. 11

Kids in grades K-2 are invited to learn basic soccer skills, have fun with friends and learn to be part of a team. The Lincoln Youth Soccer fall 2021/spring 2022 season starts on Saturday, Sept. 11 and runs for 10 Saturday, weather permitting. Practice for grades K-1 is on Saturdays at 8 a.m.; for second-graders, it’s at 9 a.m. Click here to register. If you’re a parent who’d like to get involved, please email sallyannecoleman@gmail.com. All abilities are welcome.

Library to take part in 9/11 program

The Lincoln Public Library will participate in “September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World,” a downloadable educational exhibition that presents the history of 9/11, its origins, and its ongoing implications through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks 20 years ago. Told across 14 posters, the exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s permanent collection. It explores the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and communities at the local, national, and international levels, and encourages critical thinking about the legacies of 9/11. Click here to register and download the presentation.

Donate household items for domestic violence survivors

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable welcomes donations of new household items for its annual Shower for Shelters drive to help families transitioning from a shelter or transitional housing to establish a new home. All gifts collected will be donated to clients of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. The drive runs from Monday–Thursday, Sept. 20–30.  New unwrapped gifts may be dropped off at Sudbury Wine and Spirits (410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury). Requested items include: department store and supermarket gift cards, diapers, twin-size comforters, sheets and pillowcases, bed pillows, towels and face cloths, unscented cleaning products and laundry detergent, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, flatware, dishes, drinking glasses, small kitchen appliances, and other household items.

Lincoln must mask up indoors starting Friday

Starting Friday, Aug. 20, everyone age 2 and up must wear face masks in all indoor public spaces in Lincoln regardless of vaccination status.

The rule is in response to the recent increase in positive Covid-19 cases in Lincoln and throughout Middlesex County, including breakthrough cases among those who have been fully vaccinated. This also applies to private spaces that are open to the public. Venues under the mask mandate include:

  • Food service establishments (except when seated)
  • Houses of worship
  • Fitness centers and health clubs (even when exercising strenuously)
  • Personal-services businesses including hair salons

Staff must post this requirement on their establishment’s entry doors and are responsible for supervision and enforcement, except where a person can’t wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability.

The mandate will be in effect whenever Middlesex County’s Level of Community Transmission data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is categorized as either “substantial” or “high” over a consecutive two-week period. Middlesex County’s risk is currently rated as “substantial,” but most counties in the U.S. are rated as “high” (only most of Nebraska is listed as “low).”

The Lincoln Public Schools will also require face masks indoors at all times when school resumes.

Lincoln sees one-week spike in Covid-19 cases

New cases of Covid-19 in Lincoln since Dec. 3, 2020. (Source: Lincoln Health Department)

New cases of Covid-19 in Massachusetts since the beginning of the pandemic. The dark vertical lines in this graph and the next one mark Dec. 3, 2020, where the Lincoln graph data begins. (Source: New York Times)

New Covid-19 hospitalizations in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic. (Source: New York Times)

After eight weeks of recording no new cases of Covid-19, Lincoln saw a sudden spike of 10 for the week of July 29 to August 5.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, there have only been six weeks during which Lincoln recorded at least 10 new infections. The town’s total is now 211 cases, including seven deaths (all of them at The Commons in Lincoln).

The ages of the newly diagnosed residents range from 18 to 84, with five in their 20s, Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean said. Seven out of the 10 cases are people who were fully vaccinated. They all had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic; most were tested either because of a recent exposure or symptoms.

“Lincoln is not unique and the surrounding towns are experiencing this spike in cases as well,” she said.

As of August 10, Middlesex County had a daily average of 189 cases (12 per 100,000 people), a 14-day increase of just over 100%, according to data compiled by the New York Times. The number of Massachusetts cases has been rising since mid-July, as have hospitalizations, though the latter has not been rising as sharply as the number of cases. This is presumably because, as in Lincoln, many of the infected people were vaccinated but were “breakthrough” cases with mild or no symptoms and do not require hospitalization.

Sixty-four percent of Massachusetts residents were fully vaccinated, including 75% of those age 18 and up, and 87% of those 65 and up.

(Click any graph at right below to see a larger version)

Lincoln is eligible for more than $2 million in Covid-19 relief funding

Lincoln will be able to apply for slightly more than $2 million under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill signed into law by President Biden in March.

The money will come in two tranches, and the first could arrive within weeks, Town Administrator Tim Higgins told Select Board members at their June 7 meeting. However, it won’t be clear for a while what specific expenditures the funding can be used for in Lincoln, he added. The notice came with a 150-page manual of regulations about funding eligibility and administration, and that was only  a summary, he added.

Town officials will familiarize themselves with what expenses and projects are eligible and will then begin “a widespread public conversation and debate about the best use of the money,” Higgins said. The Select Board will then be asked to form an ARPA Steering Committee drawing from school, finance, and Council on Aging and Human Services personnel to hold public hearings and present recommendations at the State of the Town meeting in November.

In addition to stimulus checks, tax credits, and unemployment benefits for millions of Americans, ARPA has a variety of funding provisions that are locally relevant, including:

  • Funds for Covid-9 vaccination distribution, contract tracing and other public health expenses
  • Grants to small businesses
  • Money for K-12 schools to help them reopen safely
  • Housing assistance, including money for renters and homeowners affected by the pandemic
  • Water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects
  • Grants to public transit and commuter rail agencies to mitigate major decreases in ridership
Priority for grants under state housing law

In an unrelated funding development earlier this spring, Lincoln received priority access to some state grants after it was named as a Housing Choice Community under the state’s Housing Choice Initiative (also known as the Zoning Act). Lincoln was one of eight cities and towns to receive the designation for the first time, bringing the statewide total to 78.

The designation — which rewards communities that are producing new housing and have adopted best practices to promote sustainable housing development — confers exclusive admission to new Housing Choice Capital Grants and priority access to many Commonwealth grant and capital funding programs such as MassWorks, Complete Streets, MassDOT Capital Projects, and LAND and PARC grants.

“Through the Housing Choice Initiative, we can give an extra boost to our partner cities and towns that are working to address challenges like the need for drainage improvements, water and sewer connections, and sidewalks that might otherwise have stood in the way of housing production,” Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said in a press release.

“As we continue to take steps to address our housing crisis, these capital and small-town grants, paired with the Housing Choice zoning reforms signed into law in January, will support even more communities be a part of the solution,” Gov. Baker said. 

Baker was referring to the related Housing Choice Act, which encouraged local zoning changes to foster housing development, especially in areas served by public transportation. Since it has a commuter rail station, Lincoln was named as an MBTA community under the law, which effectively requires those communities to allow denser housing around train stations — a development that has caused uncertainty and consternation in some quarters.

All cities and towns are in compliance until the state issues specific legal guidelines. However, MBTA communities that do not change their zoning rules to comply with the act will eventually become ineligible for grant funding from the Housing Choice Initiative, the Local Capital Projects Fund, or the MassWorks infrastructure program. 

My Turn: All those eligible should get the Covid-19 vaccination

By Chris Eliot

While many Americans have now been vaccinated against Covid-19, it is critical to vaccinate everyone who is medically eligible. Most estimates indicate 60-70% of the population must be vaccinated to reach herd immunity. Historically, approximately 10-15% of the population cannot take a vaccine for medical reasons. There is no approved vaccine for children, which are about 20% of the population. Adding up these numbers leaves no room for anyone to choose not to get the vaccine.

I am in favor of making the vaccine mandatory, but there are many prior steps that can be taken. We should create a shared incentive to get vaccinated by connecting relaxation of social distancing restrictions directly to vaccination rates. Currently, there is a highly opaque political process for deciding when to open up theaters, restaurants, and other areas, and this strange system does little to really encourage public acceptance of vaccination.

Instead, there should be specific advertised policy changes tied numerically to local vaccination rates. For example, when 50% of the medically eligible population in a community is vaccinated, there should be no requirement to wear masks outside. When 60% of the medically eligible population in a community is vaccinated, more businesses should be open at higher levels. The restrictions should be lifted in increments as 70%, 80%, 90%, and 95% of the medically eligible population of a community are vaccinated. This process would directly connect everyone’s contribution to public health measures to a tangible set of rewards. People would have a chance to take specific actions to achieve the common goals, empowering the population.

I believe this kind of measure is necessary for us to reach full vaccination and end the Covid pandemic.

Eliot is a computer scientist with a background in medical teaching software and chair of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

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Library reopens by appointment

The Lincoln Public Library is now open to the public by appointment. For appointments for adult services, call 781-259-8465 and press 3. For children’s services, press 4. The first hour of appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are reserved for patrons over 60 or with other high risk factors. Appointments will be for 30 minutes and can be made up to a week in advance. Face coverings are required for all patrons over 2 years old. For details including hours of opening and for contactless pickup of library materials, click here.

L-S to hold virtual pops concert on Friday

The L-S Music Department presents its annual pops concert on Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m. This year’s virtual event will feature live performances by orchestral group cohorts interspersed with video performances from choral, band, and jazz groups. Cohort A will perform “Libertango” and “A Salute to Michael Jackson” Cohort B of Orchestra (shown in this rehearsal photo) will perform “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission” with guest soloist Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong on clarinet. They will also perform “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The combined student cohorts will perform “We are the World.”

Cohort B of the L-S orchestra in rehearsal.

The video with students from the symphonic and concert band groups will perform “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire as well as the “Theme from Star Wars, The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Göransson. The jazz video will showcase students from the combined symphonic and concert jazz ensembles performing “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima. Chamber Singers will perform “Short People” by Randy Newman. Treble choir will sing “Go the Distance” from the movie “Hercules” and the concert choir will perform “I Want You Back/ABC,” a Jackson Five medley. Valentine Quartets will also perform a capella, sharing the popular songs the groups prepared for their annual Valentine’s Day performances.

The concert will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9 / Verizon channel 32, and will live-stream at this link. To learn more about the LSRHS Music Program, visit L-S Friends of Music at www.lsfom.org.

Drive-in Evensong at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s in-the-Fields will host its second drive-in Evensong service on Sunday, March 14 at 5 p.m. During the service, which originates from the monastic hours, the choir offers certain portions while the congregation joins in the prayers, hymns, Creed and responses. In the lower parking lot, each singer will sit in their car with a wireless microphone while Music Director Jay Lane conducts from the upper lot. The singing and pre-recorded organ music are mixed in real time and the results are broadcast over an unused FM radio frequency. Parishioner Tom Vollaro is the sound engineer. This 45-minute service will feature Walmisley’s “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis in D minor,” Wesley’s “Lead me, Lord,” and a hymn everyone can sing together. Read about the choir’s first drive-in Evensong in The Boston Globe.

Modernism Week online event offered

Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln is encouraging attendance at Modernism Week in Palm Springs, an online version of its annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture online. Programs are for sale until March 15 and stream through March 31. Go to modernismweek.com for tickets and information.

Get ready for Lincoln Youth Soccer

The Lincoln In-Town Soccer program will kick off the spring season in mid-April. All Covid-19 safety measures from the fall season will continue into the spring and the program will follow and adhere to the Massachusetts state regulations to ensure safety for kids and parents. The season for grades K-2 will start on either April 10 or April 17 on Smith Field depending on field conditions, with K-1 at 8 a.m. and Grade 2 at 9 a.m. If you were registered for the Fall 2020 session, you are already enrolled for the spring season.

The program is also looking for more boys in grade 3 even if they were not enrolled in the fall. Register at www.lincolnsoccer.com.

Library programs coming up

The Lincoln Public Library is offering the following programs via Zoom, in addition to others previously announced in the Lincoln Squirrel. See the library’s website at www.lincolnpl.org for details on all programs.

eBook Help
Fridays, March 12, 19 and 26 from 2–3 p.m.
Would you like to read or listen to library books on a Kindle or iPhone? Elizabeth Creighton and Kate Tranquada can show you how to borrow e-books and audiobooks and are available for troubleshooting as well. Contact Kate at ktranquada@minlib.net to get the Zoom link.

What is Racism?
Wednesday, March 17 from 6:30–7:30 p.m.
School-aged children are invited to join us for a discussion about racism led by Wee the People, a Boston-based social justice group. Kids notice skin color and sense that it matters, and they have questions about how and why. Together we will explore how racism isn’t just one thing, but a problem with many parts working together — problems that take more than individual kindness to solve. Breaking down the fundamental concepts of skin color, race, racism, and injustice, kids will learn how they can help to notice and disrupt racist systems. Email dleopold@minlib.net to get a Zoom invite.

“Stunning Spring Perennials” with Joan Butler
Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
Whether you garden in sun or shade, learn about how to combine them for best effect in the garden from Joan Butler of Enchanted Gardens. Her gardens have been included in several garden tours and feature a combination of native plants. For a Zoom invitation, please email Lisa Rothenberg at lrothenberg@minlib.net or call the library at 781-259-8465 ext. 202. This program is made possible with funding by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library offers home delivery of books and other materials to Lincoln residents who are unable to come to the library in person. Patrons may order up to six library items at one time (including DVDs, CDs, spoken-word CDs, and two-week new releases). Patrons may use the Minuteman online catalog to request materials, or they can call the library to request specific items or general selections (e.g., “please send me five mysteries by women authors”). A volunteer from the Friends delivers requested items on need more information about home delivery, contact the Reference Department at 781-259-8465 ext. 204 or email lincoln@minlib.net.

Schools begin pool testing for Covid-19; one positive case last week

One school employee on the Lincoln preK-8 campus tested positive for Covid-19 last week after the town’s schools began pool testing of some students and staff.

Under the voluntary six-week program that began shortly after the end of February school vacation, participating Lincoln Public School (LPS) students and staff provide a weekly sample via a quick, noninvasive lower nasal swab. The samples from each classroom are tested as a pool using the common PCR test. If a pool returns a positive result, the members of that pool are immediately tested individually using the BinaxNow rapid test.  

In the first week of testing, 578 school community members in 74 pools underwent pool testing. This included 52% of eligible students (72% of the Lincoln campus students and 33% of the Hanscom campus students) as well as 73% of eligible staff. Students and staff who are on campus full time and who have not tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 90 days are eligible for testing after they sign a consent form.

The person who tested positive was asymptomatic, but all of their close contacts were identified and notified that they must quarantine at home for 14 days dating from their last exposure with the positive individual. As a result, two classroom cohorts of students and staff as well as two additional individuals were moved to remote learning for their quarantine period, according to Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall.

If someone in a child’s pool tests positive, parents will receive a direct notification and information about the follow-up testing. A general notification will be made each week when all test results have been received and no further results are outstanding.

“While it is never good to learn of someone in our community testing positive, it is helpful to know that the pooled testing process worked and identified an asymptomatic positive person who was unaware that they had contracted the virus,” McFall said in a statement to families and staff. “That is exactly what pooled testing should do to help us ensure that viral spread is minimized. Pooled testing is most effective when everyone who is able to participate gets tested.”

Eligible students and staff who have not yet signed a consent form can participate in future testing if they submit a consent form by noon on Thursday to be included in the following week’s testing pools. Consent forms and details on the program are available on the LPS Pooled Testing web page.

The testing program was launched after the schools saw increased numbers of positive cases and close contacts in the weeks following the Thanksgiving recess and December vacation period. Last week, the school nurse on the Lincoln campus recorded 70 students who traveled out of state over the February vacation. Only 15 of these were known in advance. On the Hanscom campus, administrators know of 24 students who traveled; 18 were known in advance.

“We appreciate that many families provided the necessary test result documentation upon return to school. Students who came to school without travel notification or test results were sent home from school when information about their travel became known,” McFall wrote.

The testing program is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Student/staff survey reveals mixed feelings

In a mid-year survey of staff and students, 84% of families and 54% of faculty and staff reported feeling “extremely safe” or “quite safe” at school from Covid-19 with the current safety protocols. Asked how their children are feeling about school this year, 75–90% families reported that their kids have felt “safe,” “engaged,” “happy,” “excited,” and/or “hopeful” — though only 59% of remote students felt excited about school, vs. 80% of in-person students.

Faculty were also asked how they felt about work, whether in-school or remote, and a majority (62–94%) reporting feeling exhausted, stressed out, and/or overwhelmed. More than 80% of faculty and staff said their work felt “extremely or quite meaningful,” though only 56% said they felt extremely or quite effective at their job.

“When you are teaching in an entirely new model, and you are teaching students who are remote and not in front of you, and you teach with masks on and can’t see each others’ faces, it’s hard to gauge your impact,” said LPS Director of Technology Rob Ford, who announced the survey results at the School Committee’s January 28 meeting.

LPS is among only 3% of Massachusetts school districts that are providing a full-day, full-week in-person option along with a remote learning option. In both models, students are grouped in small cohorts with one learning coach and receive additional real-time instruction via technology. As of January 7, 273 students (26%) are learning remotely and 795 students (74%) are at school, the School Committee reported.