KINGSTON – Sacred Heart High School in Kingston awarded diplomas Monday to its final graduating class.

An outdoor baccalaureate mass, officiated by Father John Graham of Sts. Mary & Joseph Collaborative, was celebrated on the front lawn of the high school. The event marked a new beginning for members of the Class of 2020 and the final chapter for the high school which announced in February that it would discontinue grades 9-12 at the end of this school year due to declining enrollment and budget deficits.

Following the mass, Class Valedictorian Lily Lonergan, Salutatorian Paulina Spacek, and President Michael Hurm each addressed their fellow graduates and their families.

Academic awards and scholarships were presented to individual students. Mrs. Diane Hunt presented the William Christopher Hunt ’87 Scholarships to William Mayo, Michael Hurm, Paulina Spacek, Samantha Latini, and Scott Hokanson. The William Christopher Hunt ’87 Scholarship Fund was established by the Hunt family in honor of Sacred Heart alumnus Billy Hunt, who loved his time at Sacred Heart especially his friends and baseball. He had a deep devotion to Sacred Heart and the lessons he learned during his time there. Billy was killed on September 11, 2001 in the terrorist attacks in New York City where he worked as a bond trader.

To commemorate the final graduating class and to further honor her son’s legacy, Mrs. Hunt announced that, in addition to the five scholarships noted above, every graduating senior would receive a $1,500 scholarship from the William Christopher Hunt ‘87 Scholarship Fund.

The Class of 2020 received their diplomas from Head of School Sister Alice Marie Lyon and Principal Jean Marston. A keynote address was delivered by Marie Kenniston Bruninghaus ’83, an alumna and beloved former teacher and coach. Ms. Bruninghaus, who was awarded the Ketteler Medal Award at the ceremony, reminded the Class of 2020 that, as graduates of Sacred Heart, they are members of a small army who can call on each other any time, any decade, to join together to serve others. That, she said, is the fabric of Sacred Heart.

Attendance at the ceremony was limited due to social distancing requirements. Thirty local members of the Class of 2020 received diplomas yesterday. The graduating class included eight international students, who had returned to their hometowns in China due to the pandemic; these students will receive their diplomas by mail. The ceremony was live-streamed on social media for the international students as well as extended families and friends of all the graduating class.

Below is a list of the Sacred Heart High School Class of 2020:

Maxwell Allen of                                     Bridgewater plans to attend                Bridgewater State University

Maddison Larsen-Molina of   Bridgewater plans to attend  Boston University

Paulina Spacek of                                   Bridgewater   plans to attend                     Bentley University

Tyler Murphy of Carver plans to attend                                       University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Zhuo Sun, an international student who stayed with a family  in Duxbury  plans to attend             Bentley University

James Tierney of                                    Duxbury  plans to attend              Seton Hall University

Margaret Bulger of                                 Hanson  plans to attend     Marist College

Ryan Graham                          of Hingham    plans to attend  Johnson & Wales University

Michael McPhail of                               Hingham      plans to attend                       Lynn University

Cameron Dwyer                                 of Kingston  plans to attend     University of New Haven

Kevin Fehrm of                                       Kingston    plans to attend    University of Denver

Yu Fu , an international student who  stayed with a family in    Kingston  plans to attendUniversity of Connecticut

Scott Hokanson of                                  Kingston    plans to attend  Maine College of Art

Michael Hurm of                                    Kingston       plans to attend  Saint Anselm College

Lily Lonergan of                                     Kingston    plans to attend  Baylor University

William Mayo  of                                   Kingston    plans to attendStonehill College

Julia  Ward  of                                          Kingston   plans to attend  Fordham University

Siqia Weng, an international student who stayed with a family in                                         Kingston   plans to attend the University of Southern California

Chaofan Wu  , an international student who stayed with a family in        Kingston   plans to attend   Boston College

Zachary Crossman of                             Lakeville  has not made his plans known

Ethan Secakusuma of                             Lakeville   plans to attend    Wentworth Institute of Technology

Valerie Downey of                                  Marshfield   plans to attend  Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Samantha Latini           of Middleboro     plans to attend  Clemson University

Kayla Turner of                                      Middleboro   plans to attend  Syracuse University

Leo Darling                                          of Pembroke     has not made his plans known

Peilin Jiang, an international student who stayed with a host family in                                          Pembroke plans to attend  New York University

Yirui Zheng, an intrnational student who stayed with a host family in                                           Pembroke  plans to attend   American University

Hannah Boyd of                                      Plymouth plans to attend   University of North Carolina Wilmington

Sophia Capone of                                   Plymouth    plans to attend Florida Gulf Coast University

Anabella Driscoll  of Plymouth        plans to attend Dean College

Edward Kiesewetter of                          Plymouth   plans to attend       Plymouth State University

Hanyi Li    , an international student who stayed with a host family in                                          Plymouth plans to attend                          Pratt Institute

Wenrui Li, an international student who stayed with a host family in                                         Plymouth has not made their plans known

Jonathan Menard of                              Plymouth     plans to attend   Johnson & Wales University

Ariana Murphy of                                  Plymouth       plans to attend   Baylor University

Benjamin Andrade of  Plympton  plans to attend   Bryant University

Matthew Day of                                      Plympton   plans to attend University of Rhode Island

Luke Harrenstein of                 Plympton  plans to attend  Villanova University

Name                                                  Hometown                          College Attending

Maxwell Allen                                    Bridgewater                        Bridgewater State University

Maddison Larsen-Molina                 Bridgewater                        Boston University

Paulina Spacek                                  Bridgewater                        Bentley University

Tyler Murphy                                     Carver                                  University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Zhuo Sun                                            Duxbury *             Bentley University

James Tierney                                    Duxbury                Seton Hall University

Margaret Bulger                                Hanson                                Marist College

Ryan Graham                                     Hingham                             Johnson & Wales University

Michael McPhail                               Hingham                             Lynn University

Cameron Dwyer                                Kingston                              University of New Haven

Kevin Fehrm                                      Kingston                              University of Denver

Yu Fu                                                   Kingston               *             University of Connecticut

Scott Hokanson                                 Kingston                              Maine College of Art

Michael Hurm                                   Kingston                              Saint Anselm College

Lily Lonergan                                     Kingston                              Baylor University

William Mayo                                    Kingston                              Stonehill College

Julia Ward                                          Kingston                              Fordham University

Siqia Weng                                         Kingston               *             University of Southern California

Chaofan Wu                                       Kingston               *             Boston College

Zachary Crossman                            Lakeville                              Unknown

Ethan Secakusuma                            Lakeville                              Wentworth Institute of Technology

Valerie Downey                                 Marshfield                          Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Samantha Latini                                Middleboro                         Clemson University

Kayla Turner                                      Middleboro                         Syracuse University

Leo Darling                                         Pembroke                           Unknown

Peilin Jiang                                         Pembroke*                         New York University

Yirui Zheng                                         Pembroke*                         American University

Hannah Boyd                                     Plymouth                            University of North Carolina Wilmington

Sophia Capone                                  Plymouth                            Florida Gulf Coast University

Anabella Driscoll                               Plymouth                            Dean College

Edward Kiesewetter                          Plymouth                            Plymouth State University

Hanyi Li                                              Plymouth*                          Pratt Institute

Wenrui Li                                            Plymouth*                          Unknown

Jonathan Menard                              Plymouth                            Johnson & Wales University

Ariana Murphy                                  Plymouth                            Baylor University

Benjamin Andrade                            Plympton                            Bryant University

Matthew Day                                     Plympton                            University of Rhode Island

Luke Harrenstein                Plympton                            Villanova University

(*) denotes the host family hometowns of Sacred Heart’s international students

About Sacred Heart School

Sacred Heart School is a private Catholic coeducational school for children from age two through Grade 8. Welcoming students of all faiths, Sacred Heart offers a supportive learning environment where equal emphasis is given to academic and moral development. With rigorous academics, faith-based learning, and an emphasis on service to others, students feel comfortable challenging themselves in a safe and nurturing environment. For more information, visit www.sacredheartkingston.com.

Only 4.5 per cent of Plympton’s 2289 registered voters came out on the hot summer solstice; 104 ballots were cast.  Plympton voters for the most part stayed home when faced with a ballot with only two printed candidates on the form.  Selectman Mark E Russo, a candidate for re-election, turned in his nomination papers to ensure his place on the ballot.  He won with 85 votes, 16 blank, and 3 who wrote in others.

Daniel M. Cadogan was able to turn in his nomination papers to take his place on the Plympton ballot.  He won a position on the Plympton School Committee with 72 votes.  Jon Wilhelmsen won his return to the second position on the Plympton School Committee with 14 write-in votes.  There were 112 votes left blank and 10 other write-ins.

Ethan Stiles got 5 write-in votes for his place on the Board of Assssors for another three years.  There were 90 blanks.

Bradford Cronin won a 3-year term on the Board of Health with 12 write-in votes.  There were 84 blanks and 7 others.

Two positions on the Finance Committee were  won by Kathryn Shepard at 19 votes, and Marilyn Browne with 15 votes.  There were 171 blanks and 2 others.

James Lundgren and Louise Cosato won their 3 –year terms on the Board of Library Trustees with 17 and 12 votes respectively.   There were 177 votes left blank.

Jim will be a busy guy as he was also the top vote-getter in the 2-year position on the Board of Library trustees, having been written in by 5 fans.  There were 95 blanks and 4 others.

Paul D’Angelo won a 5-year term on the Plympton Planning Board.  The veteran member of the board got 8 write-ins.  94 voters left it blank and 2 votes were for others.

The one-year term on the Planning Board was won by James Cohen with 7 write-in votes cast. There were 4 others.  Blanks got 93.

For the Silver Lake Regional School Committee 3-year term Jason Fraser won the position with 10 votes written-in for him.  1 vote was for another and there were 93 blanks.

Voting took place at the Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Rd.

KINGSTON – State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston), together with her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, passed legislation this week that would allow a number of voting options, including early voting by mail, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Act Relative To Voting Options In Response To COVID-19 seeks to facilitate a number of options for voters confronting health risks due to the Coronavirus. Under the provisions of the bill, voters can elect to vote by mail, submit an absentee ballot, vote early in-person or vote on Election Day with public health safeguards in place.

The bill to expand voting options in response to COVID-19 includes the following provisions:

(1)    Early voting by mail application

• Requires the Secretary of State to mail all registered voters an application to vote early by mail in advance of the primary and general elections (by July 15 for the primary and September 14 for the general);

• Asks voters to apply by seven days prior to the primary and general elections;

• Allows for electronic signature and submission of applications

(2)    Early voting by mail

• The city or town clerk will mail an early voting by mail ballot and an envelope with return postage pre-paid to voters who apply;

• Allows voters to return their early voting by mail ballot in the mail, secure drop box, or in person;

(3)    Absentee voting

• Provides for absentee voting by any person taking precaution related to COVID-19;

• Allows electronic signature and submission of absentee voting applications;

(4)    In person voting public health safeguards

• Requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, to promulgate emergency regulations requiring public health safeguards for in-person voting, including social distancing of voters and election officers; face coverings and personal protective equipment; frequent use of sanitizers; and sanitary use of marking pens;

(5)    Early voting in person

• Provides for 7 days of in person early voting in the primary—from Saturday, August 22 to Friday, August 28—including one weekend – and 14 days of in person early voting in the general—from Saturday, October 17 to Friday, October 30—including two weekends;

(6)    Election day

·         Permits voters to still cast a ballot at the polls on election day;

(7)    Local elections

• Provides for early voting by mail for any city or town elections held at the same time as the primary or general or on or before December 31, 2020.

The bill next moves to the Senate.

Representative LaNatra, who serves on the Joint Election Laws Committee, said, “I am very pleased with this bill. It is a comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses the challenges of voting during a pandemic, and provides a number of options to remedy these challenges.  The legislature began this process by reviewing and discussing eight separate bills on the topic and worked together to put forward one very strong piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues in the House for this great work, and I am hopeful that the Senate will quickly pass this and that the Governor will sign it into law.”

Representative LaNatra’s district includes all residents of Halifax, Kingston and Plympton, as well as residents of Precincts 1, 11 and 13 in Plymouth; Precinct 1 in Middleboro; and Precinct 1 in Duxbury.  To reach her, email Kathleen.LaNatra@mahouse.gov or her legislative aide, Chris Jean, Christopher.Jean@MAhouse.gov. The phone number for the office is 617-722-2430. For updates and announcements, please visit Representative LaNatra’s Facebook page, https://bit.ly/2Ura8VR or her website, https://www.kathylanatra.com.

Town Meeting Update

Town moderator Dennis Carman and town counsel Larry Mayo attended the Tuesday, June 9 remote meeting of the Halifax Board of Selectmen in order to recess town meeting until July 11. Under Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020, towns can recess their town meetings for up to 30 days if there is a declaration of a public health emergency. Town moderators wield the power to do just that after consultation with the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health. Halifax health agent Cathy Drinan sent correspondence to Attorney Mayo stating that it would be ill advised to hold the meeting particularly with 150 people or more in an enclosed environment.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig recommended that the meeting be moved to 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 11 in order to have another month to work out logistics, hygiene protocols, and other social distancing requirements. Seelig said that he selected morning rather than evening in order to avoid mosquitos. Seelig also said that an additional benefit of waiting a month would be seeing how other communities are handling their meetings and borrowing best practices from them. According to Seelig the meeting would most likely be held at the Halifax Elementary School though whether it would be held indoors or outdoors remains to be seen.

Carman agreed with the delay saying, “people’s safety and well-being is of paramount concern to us.” He also said that he feels the delay will maximize residents’ ability to participate in town government and the budget process as an earlier date may lead to people not coming due to safety concerns.

COVID Policies and Reopening

The Board approved a new Halifax COVID leave policy during their last meeting that required all town employees to be paid only for the hours worked. The new policy took effect on Sunday, June 7. Next on the agenda was establishing a policy for returning to the workplace. The state currently recommends that employees continue to work remotely wherever feasible.

Selectmen Troy Garron and Tom Millias agreed that in order to preserve equity among employees, all town employees in all departments should be asked to return to their workplaces with exceptions made only for those with medical conditions preventing them from doing so safely. Selectman Gordon Andrews was unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting due to personal reasons. Seelig agreed saying that while many essential functions can be performed remotely, many of the town positions do include some element of interacting with either other town employees or the public. According to Millias, Maintenance Director Scott Materna will have all protective barriers in place at the town hall by this Friday, June 12. The Board voted June 22 as the date that all town employees should be returning to their places of work. Employees unable to return to work due to health concerns will need to provide a certified doctor’s note. There currently is no date set for opening the town hall to the public.

All employees must perform a self-certification daily which includes signing off that they are not currently experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 nor have they knowingly been in close contact with an infected person. Regarding the state guidance that residents traveling out of state self-quarantine for 14 days, Garron said, “I think we ought to treat it as a recommendation and not a policy.” The selectmen and Seelig agreed that employees would need to use their best judgement should the situation arise.

Signage will be used to indicate to employees and eventually members of the public what safety protocols must be practiced when inside municipal buildings including the town hall. Employees will be expected to wear face coverings in common areas and whenever social distancing cannot be adhered to inside individual offices. Seelig also said that he would recommend that windows be left open whenever feasible and said that he would speak to Materna about installing screens.

Once opened to the public, visitors to town hall will not be by appointment as some other communities have done. Instead, visitors will be asked to leave if experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. Seelig said that in the event that someone cannot come into the building, employees would be available to help them via email or phone.

Seelig and the Board also addressed how best to handle residents that refuse to comply with safety protocols such as wearing a mask. “We should let people know what our expectations are,” Millias said. He continued, “Our obligation is to keep everyone safe, including the public.” Garron said that he would never want to see any employee or anyone for that matter abused because they ask another individual to wear a mask or practice social distancing. The Board agreed that if patrons become abusive while refusing to follow safety protocols, the police will have to be called.

The Holmes Public Library will begin opening to the public in early July. There is no set date for the Council on Aging to resume programming and activities. Seelig noted that much of the clientele for those services are part of the vulnerable population. The Board plans to talk to Council on Aging Director Susan Lawless about how to best phase in programming.

The HOPS playground is currently open since it fell under phase 2 of the state’s plan for reopening. Seelig said that there is temporary signage indicating that the town will not accept any liability for injury or sickness resulting from the use of the playground. Seelig also said that the town does not have the capacity to monitor the number of people using it at any one time. Similarly, he said they will not be able to sanitize it regularly. Garron said, “I just hope that we do have reasonable adults on the playground and that they try to limit the contact between their kids and other kids as much as possible.”

The state is now allowing outdoor dining at restaurants and other similar establishments. Seelig said the process for amending liquor licenses to reflect that change has been simplified.  He did note that to date, no establishment had approached the Board to make such a change.

FY21 Town Budget

Seelig said that himself and town accountant Sandra Nolan did work out a one-twelfth budget for submission to the state based on a number of recommendations from the Finance Committee. Both Garron and Millias voted to approve the one-twelfth budget as outlined by Seelig.

Beach Stickers for Non-Residents

The Board voted during Tuesday’s meeting to allow access to Halifax beaches to non-resident taxpayers using a placard system and a $25 fee. The issue was first brought to the Board’s attention over the winter by a resident who lives on Waltham St. in Hanson but pays taxes on a portion of her land that is in Halifax.

Finance Committee member Bill McAvoy’s term ends on June 15 so the Board of Selectmen and Melinda Tarsi of the Finance Committee voted to approve having McAvoy extend his term through the FY21 budget process. McAvoy intends on resigning once the budget process is complete due to work commitments. This will leave the committee looking for three new members.

Like much of the state, Plympton is facing sharp cuts to their previously agreed upon school budget due to the economic strain brought on by the pandemic.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy prepared a version 5 of the budget in collaboration with school committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen and the Plympton selectmen. The revised budget, which was presented during the Monday, June 1 Plympton School Committee meeting, represented a 1.64 percent increase over the fy20 budget. The town of Plympton capped all salary increases at a cost of living increase of 1.6 percent and requested the same of the school budget. The budget previously voted on by the committee represented a 3.74 percent increase.

Wilhelmsen summarized the goals of the revised budget as threefold – preserve the positions of all teachers currently on staff, minimize disruption to the Dennett, and “make sure we are doing right by the students.” Much of the previous 3.74 percent increase came from a request for a new special education teacher which had the support of both the committee and the town. Fraser explained that the addition of the special education teacher is likely a cost savings as the lack of a position would likely necessitate students seeking an education that meets their needs outside of the Dennett. According to Fraser, it would cost a minimum of $60,000 to send a student to the collaborative or upwards of $100,000 if that student were to go the private route. The revised budget maintained this new position as well as that of a retiring kindergarten and music teacher.

Retirements did provide some level of savings when revising the budget. There were a few other individual line items that were cut but the bulk of the savings came from utilities and vocational. Fraser shared his concern with just how tight the budget had become. Wilhelmsen agreed but acknowledged that it was what the town had asked them to deliver. Wilhelmsen also stressed that decreases in state aid, the extent of which are still unknown, will significantly impact both what the school is able to do as well as the town. In order to preserve the current staff, Fraser recommended a hiring freeze for the two positions becoming available through attrition until more data is received from the state.

The committee decided to keep the budget at 1.64 rather than try to cut the remaining $1,300 from the budget. They unanimously voted through the regular day elementary operating budget of $2,441,399, the special education budget of $1,186,396, and the out of district vocational budget of $90,000.

School Committee Openings and Town Election

School committee member Jill Palenstijn, who had previously taken a leave of absence, submitted a letter of resignation thus opening a spot on the Plympton School Committee. Since there is only a year left on Palenstijn’s term and the ballot has closed for this year’s town election, it will be an appointed position. The school committee and the Board of Selectmen will need to hold a joint meeting to appoint a new member.

Of the town election, Wilhelmsen said that almost nobody is on the ballot not for a lack of trying but rather for a lack of ability to get and submit papers. This situation will necessitate write-in campaigns and those wishing to serve will need to communicate that to residents.  Wilhelmsen expressed desire to continue to serve as Chair of the school committee. Fraser said, “I would absolutely nominate you for that position and would thank you for another year of your time.”

CARES Act

Plymouth County, who is distributing the federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), has requested that all four school districts in Halifax, Plympton, and Kingston submit their requests in one list. There will be a joint meeting next Tuesday night with the school committees to put together a list of requisition items for the four districts. The Plymouth County treasurer has been invited.

Technology Director Steve Pellowe and Administrator of Special Education Marie Grable have both been consulted regarding possible requests for adaptive technology. The hope would be that such technology would be able to better assist students with special needs should the need for remote learning resume next year.  Wilhelmsen said that since none of these items are included in the school budget, the funding through CARES is going to prove incredibly important.

Remote Learning Update

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto gave a brief update on remote learning. He lauded Pellowe, who has assisted Veneto in the distribution of chromebooks and other necessary equipment. Veneto was also quick to praise students, their families, and his staff. “The teaching staff has been hitting homeruns left and right,” Veneto said.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch gave an update on the credit/no credit form of report cards that are to be issued. He praised Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell for her support of the elementary school teachers.

Superintendent Jill Proulx thanked Veneto and his staff for participating in the senior parade. “I know it did my heart good,” Proulx said.

Halifax – Summer Schmaling, a Halifax Republican, is officially on the ballot for State Representative in the 12^th Plymouth District after submitting more than 300 certified signatures to the Secretary of State in Boston. The 12^th Plymouth District includes the towns of Duxbury, Kingston, Halifax, Middleborough, Plymouth, and Plympton.

“I’ve received a great deal of support and encouragement from voters to run for State Representative. Voters are telling me taxes are too high and our State Representative needs to be more transparent about their voting record in the legislature,” Schmaling stated.

Summer Schmaling is a resident of Halifax where she, her husband, and three children are active in the community.  Summer’s public service began in 2013 while serving on the Halifax Finance Committee, and as Chairman of the Halifax Elementary School Committee and Republican Town Committee.

Summer is a trained scientist with experience studying influenza and various viruses at the Tufts University School of Medicine.  Summer’s experience conducting scientific research has strengthened her ability to problem-solve in a unique way, a skill-set which is desperately needed in the state legislature to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, family-owned businesses throughout Massachusetts are struggling to keep their businesses alive and taxpayers – the elderly, families, and individuals – are facing difficult times paying for food, utilities, mortgages, and insurance expenses. However, high taxes, fees, and over-regulation implemented by the state legislature will not help our citizens or businesses recover from the pandemics economic impact.

Schmaling continued, “The Covid-19 pandemic changed everything; senior citizens and elderly veterans were put at risk and too many died.  Economically, businesses closed and jobs were lost; however, the policy and planning we implement in the state legislature will be our legacy to protect our citizens’ health, jobs and businesses.”

The 12th Plymouth District Primary will be held on Tuesday, September 3, 2020. The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.  To learn more about Summer Schmaling and her campaign for State Representative, please visit www.summerforrep.com.

State Senator Michael D. Brady issued a message to residents of the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District to provide an update on recent legislation, policy changes, and to urge the continued use of social distancing practices as the Massachusetts economy begins a graduated reopening.

Starting on May 18th the Commonwealth of Massachusetts began rolling out phase-one of its reopening plan. The initial wave of changes will primarily affect religious institutions as well as the manufacturing and construction industries.

“I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work to manage this emergency,” said Senator Brady, “ I cannot stress enough how important it is that we diligently maintain social distancing practices as the state begins to reopen.”

Please view the full details here:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/reopening-massachusetts-may-18-2020/download

“I offer my sincerest gratitude to all of our healthcare workers, first responders and essential employees who have played an invaluable role in seeing us through these challenging times.  We are working on legislation to protect and aid our heroes.”

The following are some of the bills we’ve passed to assist residents in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency:

• An Act to facilitate the delay of the income tax filing deadline- Takes several steps to facilitate the delay of the state income tax filing deadline to July 15, 2020.

• An Act providing for virtual notarization to address challenges related to COVID-19 Authorizes a notary public to perform an acknowledgment, affirmation or other notarial using electronic video conferencing in real-time.

• An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 Emergency Establishes temporary protections for renters and homeowners during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• An Act to provide liability protections for health care workers and facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic- Exempts health care providers and health care facilities from suit and civil liability for damages allegedly resulting from the providing of health care services during the COVID-19 health emergency.

• An Act to further address challenges faced by municipalities, school districts and state authorities resulting from COVID-19- Amends various provisions related to the management of state and municipal operations in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• An Act to address challenges faced by municipalities and state authorities resulting from COVID-19- Implements various changes to municipal operations, tax collections, the sale of alcoholic beverages and the hiring of public retirees during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

• An Act granting authority to postpone 2020 municipal elections in the commonwealth and increase voting options in response to the declaration of emergency to respond to COVID-19- Authorizes municipalities with an election scheduled to take place before May 30, 2020, to postpone the election to a date on or before June 30, 2020.

• An Act providing additional support to those affected by the novel coronavirus through the unemployment insurance system – Makes urgent changes to the unemployment system to support workers and families affected by COVID-19.

• An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2020 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects – Appropriates $15 million to support the Commonwealth’s efforts against the novel coronavirus, including for monitoring, treatment, containment public awareness and prevention efforts by the department of public health, regional and local boards of health, and any other public entities.

Throughout the duration of the crisis, my team and I have been hard at work helping constituents on a one to one basis to deal with the variety of challenges brought on by COVID-19. If you are in the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District and in need of assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at (617) 722-1200 or at Michael.Brady@MAsenate.gov.

To stay up to date on the latest news from the MA State Senate follow me on Facebook  @MikeBradyWorks, on Twitter @Brady_Works, and on the web at senatormikebrady.org.

Halifax School Committee Catches up During Pandemic

The Halifax School Committee met virtually on Monday, May 11. Chair Summer Schmaling began with correspondence from Silver Lake Regional School Committee Chair Jason Fraser (who is also vice chair of the Plympton School Committee) asking if they would support him in his bid for treasurer/secretary on the Massachusetts Association of School Committee (MASC) Executive Board. Just as the Regional School Committee did, the Halifax Committee also voted unanimously to do so.

The Committee then provided reports for each of the standing sub committees. Superintendent Jill Proulx spoke on behalf of Policy saying that while they do have a list of recommendations from MASC, policy updates have not been a priority given recent changes to the remote learning plan. Negotiations said that they voted earlier that evening and plan to reach out to both the Halifax Teacher’s Association and the Halifax Custodial Negotiations Team to setup a remote meeting for further negotiating.  Committee member Alison Vance said that PAC has continued meeting and that chromebooks were rolled out to students. Regarding Youth and Rec, Schmaling said, “Clearly they’re kind of at a stand still themselves and not really sure what the summer will hold.” Union 31 had not met. Capital Budget also had not met though it was noted that the budget is obviously in flux.

Principal Kayne Beaudry provided an update on the remote learning plan. “I want to give kudos to our teachers. They have really jumped in and have been working with adapting and changing up their game plan every week; we feel that the plans are getting better and better,” he explained. Beaudry said that student engagement has been the top priority for the last few weeks. Families that have been flagged as needing extra help keeping up with engagement have been placed on a watch list.

Beaudry also mentioned that per state guidelines, teachers have been transitioning from just assigning work to focusing on prerequisite standards. “I do want to give a little plug to our specialist teachers,” Beaudry said. He noted the unique difficulties faced by this set of teachers as they see seven different grade levels. “They have really done a nice job on scaling back and listening to our families and making it as user-friendly as possible,” he continued.

Beaudry also spoke from personal experience, saying that he has his own children from preschool to middle school that are being homeschooled. He noted the inherent difficulties in remote learning especially for those in the younger grades.

Enrollment for the incoming kindergarten class is currently hovering around 78 students compared to the current kindergarten’s class of 64. Committee member Gordon Andrews told Beaudry he had seen some questions online regarding the kindergarten registration process. Beaudry said that the school has been working behind the scenes to address things like orientation for parents and screenings for students. Andrews also said that he has seen a number of questions from parents and other guardians regarding the required medical records as scheduling doctor’s appointments has become difficult given the pandemic. Beaudry said that the school nurse as well as the administrators are aware that there will be a backlog for medical records and said there will be a grace period for obtaining those records.

Proulx and Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said that they have been meeting with union leadership, department heads, curriculum coordinators, and building principals regarding the remote learning plan.

Lynch said that they have been favoring asynchronous learning over synchronous learning as it allows families to go back and access lessons when convenient for them. Andrews said that the Committee wanted to express their thanks to the administrators and teachers for their hard work during unprecedented times. Proulx was quick to mention that thanks should also be extended to Director of Business Services Christine Healy. Proulx joked that she has been asking Healy “a million budget questions every day.”

As of right now, the anticipated last day of school is June 19.

Stephen Richardson
Social Security Regional Communications Director

 Social Security and its Office of the Inspector General continue to receive reports about fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be Social Security employees.  These scammers try to trick people into providing personal information or money, and often threaten their victims with arrest.  Don’t be fooled.

Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.

Real Social Security employees also will not:

o   Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended.

o Contact you to demand an immediate payment.

o Ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

o  Require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card, or cash.

o  Demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.

o  Promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money.

If you receive a suspicious call or are unsure of the identity of someone who claims to be from Social Security:

o   Hang up.

o  Do not give money or personal information.

o   Report the scam to our Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen continued with their virtual weekly meetings on Thursday, April 23 to cover any COVID-19 related updates as well as some regular town business.   

Chairman of the Board of Health Arthur Morin reported to Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy that all COVID-19 cases in Plympton were reported to be recovered resulting in no active cases they were aware of as of April 23. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy exclaimed, “Hallelujah, that is great news.” Selectmen Mark Russo and John Traynor agreed. Morin said, “I was tickled yesterday when I got the news that they are out of quarantine and everything is good.” Since the meeting, however, the town’s website has been updated to report one active case in town.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy told the Board that they had to decide whether to conduct an appraisal of the property at 61 Upland Road. There is currently a notice of intent to convert under Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 61A. The Board decided they would take a vote at a later meeting as they felt that they needed more time and more discussion to make the correct decision.

Dennehy provided an update on the town’s measures to combat the Coronavirus pandemic locally. Weekly calls with townhouse employees, the library, and the Council on Aging are continuing. Additionally, an Emergency Management meeting was held this week to discuss what it will look like when the town reopens as well as best approaches for reopening. Dennehy said that the town will need to be in compliance with both the state and federal government’s guidance. Extenuating circumstances will also have to be taken into consideration including, but not limited to, childcare issues or caretaking for ill family members. “Everything seems to be running smoothly,” Dennehy said.

Dennehy also said that Meals on Wheels has been moved out of the Fire Department and is now being operated out of the Halifax Council on Aging. Dennehy said that Council on Aging Director Joy Marble gave her an update on the Brown Bag program that delivers a bag of essential groceries to residents who qualify. Those wishing to inquire about eligibility for either Meals on Wheels or the Brown Bag program should reach out to Marble (contact information can be found on the town website).

Dennehy said that if people need to visit the Townhouse they must check in with either herself or the Chair of the Plympton Board of Health Arthur Morin. “We seem to have a pretty good schedule going right now,” Dennehy said.

Regarding the town budget, Dennehy said that despite being under certain time constraints, it would be premature to make any decisions currently about what will or will not be happening.

Chair of the Plympton School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen was also in attendance to provide an update on the schools. Wilhelmsen said it was a challenge to keep everything equal. He added, “We’ll do things as we always do in Plympton which is collaboratively.”