The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, Oct. 18. They began their meeting with an update from Alan Wheelock, Chair of the Wage and Personnel Board. “We’re embarking on a fairly ambitious project in that we are preparing for town meeting a full revision of the wage and personnel bylaw… parts of it have been updated from time to time over the years,” Wheelock explained. “Many parts of it are quite dated,” he continued. He said they did research on surrounding towns and said that Kingston has a comprehensive bylaw that they will be borrowing from pending Kingston’s approval.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy told the Selectmen that Scott Benton was in place as the interim Police Chief. She said that he and the rest of the Police Department will be hosting an open house for the public on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  “It seems like he’s off to a great start,” Dennehy said of Benton.

The Selectmen voted to approve the employment agreement with Sergeant Daniel Hoffman from Aug. 26, 2021 through Aug. 26, 2024. They also voted to approve the employment agreement with Sergeant Matthew Ahl from Aug. 26, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

The Selectmen also voted to authorize Dennehy to serve as the authorized representative to the Plymouth County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) portal. It was unanimous. They took a similar vote to approve authorization for the Town Accountant as well.

Several appointments were also unanimously approved. They included Nathaniel Sides to the Plympton Cultural Council through 2024, Jessica Kinsman and Jackie Rafferty to the Open Space Committee through 2024 and 2023 respectively, Alan Wheelock to the Community Preservation Committee through 2024, Special Police Officers James Boulter and Mark Gabriel through 2022, Nathan Cristofori as Animal Control Officer through 2022 and Kathy Seeley and Elise Senior as Animal Control Officers via Carver through 2022.

Dennehy said for the Townhouse roof project, both she and Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen had been in touch with the architect. She said they would need to have some sampling of the current roof material completed in order to identify any issues such as the presence of asbestos. The bid for the sampling was awarded to Universal Environmental Consultants for $3,050. For the ADA ramp project at the Townhouse, Dennehy said a meeting would be held later that week in order to kick off the construction. She also said the Highway Department has done the preliminary road markings to identify safety zones. “So far the feedback has been favorable,” she explained saying that there have been requests for more of the markings at further intervals.

Regarding the new playground at Dennett Elementary School, Wilhelmsen said, “they’re pushing full board ahead.” He said that they may be able to begin installing the rubberized coating later this month or in early November. If it can’t be done by then, woodchips will have to be utilized until the spring or the summer when the weather will allow for the curing process. “I think it’s going to be a really, really nice installation and I think the location of it is actually better,” Wilhelmsen told the Selectmen.

As customary, the Selectmen ended the night with their rants and raves. Selectman Mark Russo said that his rave was for the multitude of appointments voted upon that night. “We’ve recruited some really, really great people,” Russo said. Chair Christine Joy said her rave was for the Plympton Police Department open house. “This is a great time for some good will with our Police Department; I’m so appreciative of them opening their doors and inviting people in,” she said.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met remotely on Tuesday, Oct. 5, in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall to hear from the Green Earth Cannabis, Inc. and address concerns by neighboring property owners and other townspeople.

Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews recused himself from the hearing regarding the Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Green Earth Cannabis, Inc. as his father owns a business in close proximity to the proposed site. The Chief Executive Officer of Green Earth is John Kudryk, the Chief Financial Officer is Matthew Collins, The Director of Operations is Robert Maker, and the Director of Security is Jay Skowronek. Maker has lived in Halifax for more than 25 years. While not a principal, Laurence Gogarty will be heavily involved, particularly with the site plan.

The proposed location for the adult use marijuana retail establishment is 657 Monponsett St. The lease for the left side of the commercially zoned building was signed in November of 2020. The right side of the building is Twin Lakes Liquor Store. According to Green Earth the location meets all local and state requirements.

A preliminary store layout was shared on screen during the meeting. It still needs Planning Board approval as well as approval from several other agencies including the Halifax Police Department and the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

The four steps required to open include an approved HCA, a community outreach session, a license from the CCC, and a full site plan review by the Planning Board complete with public hearings as well as a special permit. The only issue on the table during Tuesday’s meeting was the HCA. Lawyer for Green Earth Toby Dilworth laid out the terms of the 5-year HCA including a preference for hiring local residents, a 3 percent local excise tax on each retail sale, the highest allowable community impact fee of 3 percent, an adequate security system, and a community dispute resolution process. The terms are the same as those in Halifax’s HCA with Flower and Soul. “We say that what is reasonable and fair for Flower and Soul is reasonable and fair for us,” Dilworth said.

Projected revenues were also shared with the Selectmen and others on the call. Dilworth called the numbers conservative saying that by year one they anticipate $4,900,000 in total sales with that number increasing to $7,841,103 by year five. Halifax would see roughly $290,000 of the first year’s sales. “I submit that there is no other business that could generate as much revenue for the town at that location as Green Earth could and I think it would be a much better neighbor than other options,” Dilworth said. Dilworth acknowledged concerns such as loitering, litter, and traffic but said that they would all be properly addressed.

During the question-and-answer portion of the hearing, Selectman Ashley DiSesa asked what would be done to make residential neighbors more comfortable. DiSesa said that while the HCA is the same as the one used by Flower and Soul, the location proposed by Green Earth is very different with a lot of residents nearby. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback on this particular property from the residents of this town,” DiSesa said. Dilworth said that there would be both fencing and buffering which would need to be resolved by the Planning Board. Selectman Troy Garron expressed some concern over security. Dilworth assured him that they would be consulting with the Halifax Police Department regarding security requirements.

Nearly 30 residents joined the call to offer input during the hearing. A resident who said she lives directly behind the building questioned whether there was really three acres of parking available as stated by Dilworth during his presentation. Gogarty clarified that there were in excess of 98 parking spaces available. He went on to say that it would require maximizing the paved area but noted that they may not necessarily create that many spaces.

Another resident spoke up to say that it would bring in revenue to the town and if the company follows the rules and procedures, “why wouldn’t we when every other town seems to be doing this?” He questioned why residents would want to bring their money to another town. Someone else countered that they have concerns about people drinking and smoking in the parking lot and then driving. Gogarty again stressed that they would be meeting or exceeding any local or state safety requirements.

Throughout the hearing, Dilworth continually replied that it would be the job of the Planning Board to sort through the issues that were being brought forth by the residents in attendance. “In your presentation, you said you wanted to be a good neighbor; don’t you think you would have come with some of these answers or been able to give us a better answer than that’s someone else’s job,” an abbutter said. She continued, “I just don’t hear that you guys are trying to be good neighbors because you are completely dismissing everything that people are saying… I think the other companies that did get the approval in Halifax definitely did stuff to appease the neighbors to get their stuff approved.” “There’s always opposition from the abutters, but we’re going to do everything we can to alleviate that,” Dilworth said.

Before closing, two other residents offered their support for the new business. The residents opposed to the business seemed to echo the sentiment that it was not the type of business they were opposed to but rather the location of that business.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig expressed concern that the CCC was moving away from allowing towns to use the three percent community impact fee for whatever they want and more toward the money needing to be allotted to issues directly caused by the marijuana business in question. “I’m just concerned that… the laws themselves may change in the future,” Seelig explained. “You’ve negotiated as much protection as you possibly can,” Dilworth said.

Garron said he was not as comfortable as he wanted to be with the presentation that night but said he believed they should move forward with the HCA. DiSesa agreed acknowledging that it was not their job to deal with things like the security of the business or whether the setbacks are appropriate. “I do hope that they will do the community outreach as soon as possible… I do believe if you are going to be a successful business in this town you should really hear what the residents in this town are saying and be a little bit more accommodating,” DiSesa said. “I just want to make a statement that we have to trust the fact that the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Planning Board, the Building Inspector – they are going to do their job to their best before any kind of permit is given,” Garron said. It was agreed that the decision on the HCA would be made at a later meeting.

In other business, Seelig told the Board that the South Shore Children’s Museum was seeking permission for live entertainment during a not so scary walk that they plan to hold at Walmart in late October. The Selectmen voted to approve the request.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 28. The first appointment of the night was with Todd Dargie who was to be appointed to the Finance Committee. He had previously interviewed for the Committee and has been serving on the Capital Planning Committee. “I do have extensive experience in budgeting and the financial services sector and banking and things of that nature,” Dargie explained. They voted unanimously to approve his appointment through June of 2023.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig discussed the official town of Halifax Facebook page. He said that logistically they would need to figure out who would be responsible for posting on the page. It was explained that you can have as many contributors as wanted but the particular policy limits it to two members of each department. It was discussed whether the messenger feature would be disabled. Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews said he would recommend leaving messenger off for the time being. The Selectmen voted to unanimously approve the policy on the Facebook page as presented by Information Technology manager Cesar Calouro. Calouro and Seelig will be the page administrators.

Calouro was also on hand for a discussion of the social media policy for employees and committee members. Of the policy, Calouro said, “It is to establish a set of guidelines and expectations to protect the town of liability.”  He said that it should serve as a reminder that everything is still public record regardless of the town hosting the platform. The main gist of the conversation was to distinguish town employees or volunteers’ personal comments versus those made in a professional capacity. Andrews argued that unless they are commenting on a town hosted platform, it should be assumed that any views expressed are their personal ones and not the official stance of the town. The Selectmen asked Calouro to reword the policy before they would approve.

Calouro also discussed changing out the bulletin board at Town Hall with a tv screen that would cycle through the items that are currently posted there on paper. A suggestion to have a touch screen display that could be paused was explored. Calouro said he didn’t plan to buy a touch screen as he didn’t think the money to do so would be available.

The Selectmen met with Peter Gallistino and Robert Palma of Elevated Roots in regards to a proposed marijuana dispensary. Gallistino said they were following up on previous communications with the town and the Selectmen. He said they were able to secure the property at 319 Monponsett St. They explained that the parcel is in what they called an “appropriate” location which they said does not abut residential properties. They also said that the construction process would be quick as it was limited to an interior remodel. They plan to hire around 35 people for the Halifax location with preference given to local residents.

Elevated Roots is currently located in Kingston where they operate an adult use retail facility and are in the process of constructing a cultivation facility there as well. They said that their partnership with the community is what sets them apart. They said that despite it not being part of the Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Kingston, they donated five percent of their sales on Memorial Day to Kingston Veteran’s Committee.

Selectman Troy Garron said his biggest concerns would be traffic and security. Palma said the inside door cannot open until the outside door closes. He said it allows them to control who accesses the property. He further explained that the team’s access to various parts of the building depends on their role within the company. When asked if they had given consideration to an armed intruder, they explained that they operate similarly to a bank with panic buttons equipped throughout, etc.

The next appointment was with Daniel Parsons of 715 Old Plymouth Street. Andrews explained that the Board had received complaints about a number of unregistered cars on the property. Parsons explained various reasons for having unregistered vehicles and also said that he has moved the junk on his property to the back so that it could no longer be seen from the road. He said he makes extra money through scrapping. Seelig told Parsons to verify that inspections were up-to-date for the vehicles to which Parsons said that up-to-date inspections did not matter for the state of Massachusetts. Seelig said that it was part of the town’s by-laws. Andrews asked if he was willing to have a site visit by the Board. Parsons said, “I don’t like people on my property. You guys have already tried to break into my property once before. Your building inspector and health inspector tried to break into my house saying I was squatting after living here for a year and a half.” He continued, “I do not like people from your town on my property. You have already shown me that you don’t care… my wife was cowering in the corner with my two-month-old baby.” They agreed to a site visit on the following Saturday.

Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was present to ask for clarifications regarding the bonuses that had been approved for town employees using the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding. Decisions were reached on how to pro-rate the raises for part-time employees as well as whether to issue bonuses to recent hires. Seelig also told the Selectmen that $110,000 in additional ARPA funding was now available to the town. Seelig also told the Selectmen that the town would be receiving $200,000 in grant money through a Green Communities award.

Regarding use of the additional ARPA funds, Andrews, who also serves on the Halifax Elementary School Committee, told the Board that currently the Fire Department is handling the testing required to implement the test and stay program that allows asymptomatic students to stay in school if they are close contacts. There was a question regarding how the Fire Department would be reimbursed for the costs associated with that task. Andrews also asked that the system that allows communication between the various rooms for Town Meeting at the school be purchased and the wires be left in place permanently. Andrews said that given the number of times they have paid for the equipment to be placed and the company to run it, they would have been able to purchase the equipment multiple times over.

There was mention of a few resignations in town as well. Drew McGlincy resigned from the Finance Committee and Special Police Officer Thomas Reed resigned from the Police Department.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, Sept. 27,  continuing their discussion from previous meetings on heavy truck traffic exclusions on certain roads in town. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said she had heard back from the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) who said the best option would be to do a heavy commercial vehicle exclusion on portions of Main, Center, and Maple streets. Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte had previously questioned whether including Main St. in that exclusion would preclude the town from future grant funding opportunities. Dennehy said OCPC is currently looking into whether or not the funding would be affected. The town had previously been interested in including other streets but needed approval from Kingston to pursue those. Kingston decided they were not interested in participating at this time. The Selectmen voted to approve moving forward with the exclusions with the caveat that Firlotte’s concerns be explored further.

Selectmen also held a public hearing to consider the application of Eversource for a new pole at Mayflower Rd. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy opened the hearing to anyone who would like to speak either in favor or against the pole. Karen Johnson spoke on behalf of Eversource. Johnson said the pole was needed to run electric service to a solar array farm. Joy asked if the pole was standard size and Johnson confirmed that it was and that it would be placed within an existing pole line. There was no one present to speak against the installation of the pole. Selectmen voted unanimously to authorize Eversource to install the pole.

Firlotte provided the Selectmen with an update regarding ongoing Highway Department projects. Prospect Road paving was completed. He said that work on the wooden Winnetuxet River Bridge has been suspended indefinitely and he is unsure when work will be able to be resumed. He said that he was in the process of trying to find someone capable of making stencils large enough to go on the road to mark where the new safety zones are located. If needed, Firlotte said he would make his own though he said they would be smaller than originally desired.

Selectmen also awarded the bid for the work on the ADA ramp at the Townhouse. Dennehy said the lowest bidder was St. John Corporation out of Wellesley whose bid was $110,000. “Then we also asked the bidders to price out one alternative which would have to do with our current entrance of the Townhouse and they priced that out at $17,900.” Dennehy said she was recommending that Selectmen award the bid to St. John Corporation pending a favorable recommendation from the Town Properties Committee. Dennehy also recommended not proceeding with the alternative although she said it might be possible to pursue it for town meeting.  The Selectmen voted unanimously to award the contract.

Dennehy provided Selectmen with a Town Administrator’s update including grant funding. She said they got their Green Communities grant application in by the deadline with the help of OCPC. She said they are moving forward with another Green Communities application. Dennehy said that the quick deadline of October 8 means many communities take a year off in between applications but said she is hopeful they will be able to submit materials in time. Dennehy said she has an upcoming meeting at Dennett Elementary School with the school nutritional director, the lead custodian, and the lead cook to see about using some of that potential funding to possibly replace outdated appliances. “The school staff is very excited about this,” she explained. In addition, Dennehy said they are also looking into the library heating system.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee as well as Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen provided an update on the school saying that work on the new playground was underway. He said that after many delays, all the equipment has been delivered. He said that installation of the rubberized surface would have to wait until spring as it needs a constant temperature of 52 degrees to cure properly. Wood chips are to be used in the interim.

Selectman Mark Russo began the rants and raves portion of the meeting saying his rave was for the town of Brewster. During their town meeting Saturday, they approved the purchase of 66 acres along Long Pond in addition to another approximately 60 acres along the ocean. “This is invaluable land almost never available on the Cape… I salute the townspeople of Brewster for making an investment into the long-term future of their town,” Russo explained.

Selectman John Traynor went next saying it was nice to see Dennehy send out a list of long-term items. “It shows the progress we’re making in terms of addressing a number of things,” he explained. He said his semi-rant was with the Post Office as they are sending more and more services to Carver. Traynor said he hoped it was not indicative of a plan to close the Plympton branch. Joy said her first rave was for Rob Firlotte. “He’s getting a lot of really good work done and he’s so engaged and responsive to concerns,” she said. Her second rave was for all of the great work being done by the Council on Aging.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on September 17 to discuss possible uses of the town’s allotment of $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan was also present for the discussion. Selectmen Chair Gordon Andrews said, “one use of the ARPA funds is bonuses for employees; I was going to suggest that we do a $1,500 bonus this year and next year.” Andrews said that for the unions, including fire, police, and highway, part-time employees’ bonuses would be pro-rated based on the number of hours worked.

Andrews said he wanted to discuss “everyone else” noting “but I don’t know that I have a solution for that today.” Selectman Troy Garron said, “I think we need to reward the staff for what they have done through the pandemic – the loyalty they have shown to the town.” The Selectmen decided that all town employees, including full-time elected employees, would receive $1,500 if full-time and a pro-rated bonus if part-time.

Andrews asked how to handle the school employees saying that the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were available for their use. Selectman Ashley DiSesa said they would need to research whether the School Committee plans to allot funds for bonuses for school employees before proceeding with using ARPA funds for that purpose. She noted she did not want to hold up bonuses for other town employees in the meanwhile. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the bonuses for all but the school employees.

The Selectmen then turned their attention to what is referred to as “the affected communities.” “Because of Covid restrictions, you have restrictions at the elementary school for masking and you have issues with humidity and heat there… I have a motion to designate $35,000 for engineering consulting for the complete scope of work to upgrade, renovate the Halifax Elementary School HVAC system and building management system.” Garron clarified that work had already been done on some of those systems but Andrews said the issue needing fixing is related to heat and humidity. “I can say after all of us sitting in the gym and not being able to breathe and everybody going outside to try and breathe with the masks on, I think we need to do something,” Andrews explained. The Board voted unanimously to approve the cost for the consulting/engineering fee.

Andrews said he was going to make a request to the Director of Facilities and Maintenance for an estimate for either engineering work or the cost of the project for reviewing/fixing the HVAC system at the fire station. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve this motion.

The Selectmen next discussed building a senior center with ARPA funding. “Because of Covid-19, the seniors in our community have definitely been affected – they’ve been isolated and I will be pushing to use some of the ARPA funds to provide a place… I don’t know whether we could cover the whole cost of the senior center within the ARPA funds but I think we can use a portion of those funds; they are an affected community,” Andrews said. Garron said, “I personally believe that the seniors have been discarded over getting things for the younger kids… you’ve got to remember the senior citizens are the ones that made this history of the town – made it what it is today.” The Selectmen agreed to look into the cost of a new senior center.

DiSesa suggested potentially allocating some of the funds to deal with infrastructure and, in particular, water. The quality of the water in town was a topic of discussion during recent Selectmen meetings with residents complaining of brown water amongst other things. Andrews said he was in agreement. Andrews noted that the funds weren’t eligible to be used for road construction.

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in person on Thursday, September 9. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill introduced senior Riley Doyle. Doyle is the Student Council Executive Board President, and one of the seniors on the Student Advisory to the School Committee. The other senior is Callie MacInnis. Other members of the Student Advisory Board include junior Mia Mitchell and sophomores Connor Doyle and Nikhil Harish. The seniors will attend the School Committee meetings. “We’re delighted to have their voice and their experience at the table with us,” Gill said.

Gill presented her Principal’s Report to the Committee telling them that this year’s theme for the staff and students is “Lakers to the Core”. She said that the phrase will appear throughout the building as well as on social media with that hashtag. Gill said she hopes to “remind folks what it really means to be a true Laker.”

There are several new staff members at the school. Lori Cullen joins the math department as a computer science teacher, Laura Mackey is a new biology teacher, Beth Fradet is a new art teacher who will also act as the yearbook advisor, Laura Olsen is a new French teacher, Colin Foley is a new social studies teacher and freshman soccer coach, Craig Murray is a new physics teacher, Silver Lake alumna Jessica Guilford is a member of the office staff, Silver Lake alum Jamie Jones is a new preschool paraprofessional, Kelly Griffin joins the English Department, Dan Richards will serve as a long-term substitute, and Suzanne Simmons will serve as a paraprofessional.

Gill said that Amy Woods will serve as the new PTO President. She also said that Spirit and Homecoming are coming up. Additionally, Gill said there were several dress-up days on the calendar and noted that they were returning to their pep rallies. “We’re thrilled to be back to as much normal as possible,” Gill said. Gill also said that parent teacher conferences will be offered as a choice of either in-person or remote. Gill also provided an update on the dual enrollment program saying that over the summer they did have a student take several courses through that program.

Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Jim Dupille also provided a Principal’s Report saying, “There’s definitely some normalcy to the starting of the year which was really good to see; the students in the classroom – the excitement and energy,” he told the Committee.

Dupille said that the Summer Enhancement Camp that was run in July was highly successful. This year’s camp included a social and emotional component. He said that attendance rates were high with more than 20 incoming seventh and eight graders attending. He also noted that they had successful professional development programs over the summer. The open house held in August included more than 400 people. A motivational speaker came to meet with students at the school that day. Dupille said that his message to students was to connect to their passions.

The Back-to-School night will be held on Thursday, September 23. Parents and guardians will begin the night in the auditorium speaking with Dupille. The Welcome Back Cookout and Karaoke night will be on Friday, September 24. Dupille said the Haunted Halls will also be coming back with tours in October. He noted that there are a myriad of clubs and activities that will be making a return this year.

During Director of Business Services Christine Healy’s financial update, Committee member Summer Schmaling asked what would happen to the Silver Lake budget if Halifax doesn’t get a quorum at their next town meeting. “At Halifax’s town meeting, the Finance Committee supported a number that was less than what was going to support our budget; they supported a 2 percent increase and their assessment went up more than that… so at town meeting they voted a number that does not support the full commitment that they would need to make for their assessment for the year,” Healy explained. Healy said that if the town does not have a quorum on Sept. 21, the town plans to address it within the annual town meeting. Other Committee members clarified that the town would have to “fall into line” so to speak as the other two towns force them into that position with their votes.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch also provided an update saying that on August 31 there was a professional development event focused on social and emotional learning for the district’s paraprofessionals. He thanked the Middle School PTO and High School Yearbook Committee for providing breakfast treats for the opening day.

Lynch also provided grant updates saying they were approved for their ESSER II submission. He said the allotment for Silver Lake is $250,589. “The focus for that grant is unfinished teaching and learning – social and emotional supports and operations,” Lynch said. He said they are working with teachers and administrators on where to best allocate the funds based on the needs of students. Lynch also said that they are looking to line up ESSER III which is due in October.

Superintendent Jill Proulx provided an update to the Committee. On September 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a vaccination clinic will be held at the Kingston Intermediate School in collaboration with the Kingston Board of Health for residents from Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton who wish to be vaccinated. Proulx provided data from the Nutritional Director regarding summer meals saying that from June 23 to August 18, meal bundles including five breakfasts and five lunches, were distributed on Wednesdays. In total, they served 25,998 meals.

Proulx also provided a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) update. She noted that as of August 25 they have mandated masks indoors for all K-12 public schools. “The State is using vaccines as the primary mitigation measure,” Proulx said. She said they were being encouraged to host vaccination clinics. There are plans through November to hold several more vaccination clinics at the Kingston Intermediate School. Proulx said that unlike last year there are no social distancing requirements. She said that they have signed up to be a part of the test and stay program that would allow asymptomatic close contacts to remain in school while being tested daily for a determined amount of time from exposure. She said they had just received their first set of tests that day and said that there was some delay in securing a program testing coordinator. Parents will receive the opportunity to opt into that program.

Proulx said that close contacts are those within 6 ft of a COVID positive individual for 15 minutes or more indoors during a 24-hour period. She noted that certain exemptions apply including those who are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated. Other exemptions include if both individuals were masked and three feet apart as well as those that were masked on buses with open windows. Finally, those that were diagnosed with COVID in the last 90 days but are currently asymptomatic are also exempt. Proulx said that masking would likely be in place until a school reaches a certain vaccination percentage – likely 80 percent.

Proulx shared with the Committee the vaccination percentages for each community in the district. She said the first number would be the vaccination rate for 12–15-year-olds and the second number would be for 16–19-year-olds. As of late August, Halifax stood at 57 and 59 percent, Kingston at 63 and 84, and Plympton 65 percent and 71 percent. Committee member Leslie-Ann McGee said she would like to see the Committee receive aggregate numbers of the percentage of Silver Lake Regional students and staff that are vaccinated between now and October. Proulx said she would need to speak with the nurse leader about how accessible that information would be to the district.

Committee Chair Jason Fraser spoke saying while DESE and DPH are working on a way to facilitate an easy way to identify school vaccination rates, their current priorities lay elsewhere including the test and stay program. Fraser said that there have already been 30 school districts in Massachusetts that have had to quarantine entire classrooms or school buildings. Fraser said that while the 80 percent vaccination rate is the metric being focused on at the moment as it is quantifiable, if the incidences of COVID in Massachusetts were to reduce greatly, that metric would likely change. He further said that currently there are nine states and the District of Columbia that have mandated vaccines for all school staff at the state level and said that he expects Massachusetts to be next. Fraser said that some school committees have mandated vaccines for school staff and even for some school activities.

“As you may have noticed, Commissioner Riley came very late to the game in the masking of our students; it’s because he’s very concerned about many of the same issues that a lot of parents and a lot of you have expressed at this table,” Fraser said.

The School Committee also considered whether or not to rescind their current masking policy. One of the ramifications of doing that would mean that students under 5 would no longer be required to wear a mask but would be strongly recommended. McGee said that she would be voting against rescinding the policy because it takes away local control to make decisions as it would then mean strictly following DESE and DPH guidance. Committee member Emily Davis said that she didn’t feel comfortable going past the mandates by DESE and DPH and said she would be fully in favor of rescinding the policy. The Committee ended up voting in favor of rescinding the policy by a divided vote.

Proulx provided some non-COVID related updates including that they would be hosting a capital planning meeting on September 30. She said that many community stakeholders would be invited to attend.

Fraser provided the legislative report. He said that in December of 2020, the legislature released a report from the special committee for improving efficiency relative to student transportation. Fraser said that he had previously told the Committee that regional transportation funding was in jeopardy. He verified with Healy that Silver Lake Regional receives about $590,000 in state reimbursement for transportation aid. He said that towns like Plymouth that have an extraordinary number of miles that need to be traveled each day are wondering why regionalized districts get reimbursement funding and they don’t. He said that the report that was passed onto the legislature suggested that they look at the needs of the region including low-income students and also the distance traveled each day. He said that compared to other regions, their communities come out looking “rich” despite not feeling it. He said that another item in the report that might have budgetary implications for Silver Lake was their “greening the fleet” proposal that would see them move toward all electric or hybrid buses. Fraser promised to let the School Committee know if he saw movement on any of these measures.

Fraser also said that at the Federal level, there was a House bill being considered under reconciliation that includes several hundred million dollars for universal pre-k, community college, school safety upgrades, etc. Fraser said that these were all areas that have seen erosion in recent years. “This would put us back to whole and beyond whole, hopefully.”