AMHERST — Amherst school officials are being advised by the town’s health director that moving in-person services for high-needs students to school buildings would be safer than delivering those services at home.
Superintendent Michael Morris informed the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee this week that Health Director Emma Dragon suggested that these high-needs students would be at less risk of COVID-19 spread and exposure if brought back to a classroom.
Most of the district’s 2,400 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, are studying remotely, though the Distance Learning Center, established at Amherst Regional High School and staffed by a private contractor, has been working with 13 students in person on their remote work.
Meanwhile, a number of high-needs students are being helped at home with their remote learning, and Morris said there is more risk of transmission for these students and their families at their homes than there would be at school.
But Morris said a challenge remains how to staff this site, as a memorandum of agreement with the Amherst Pelham Education Association sets the health metrics related to COVID-19 that need to be achieved before teachers, paraprofessionals and other union staff return from remote instruction.
In an emotional appeal at the Tuesday meeting, committee member Peter Demling said if it is safer to service high-needs students in school buildings than in their homes, the administration has to figure out a way to staff it.
“We can’t sacrifice their education indefinitely because of other issues that can’t be resolved,” Demling said.
“We have very high-needs students who can’t benefit from remote learning,” Demling said. “We need to get them in the building, we need to service them in the building.”
Though the program coordinator at the Distance Learning Center is a district employee, the schools have had to use an outside contractor to handle some of the work, mostly to provide extra support during their remote instruction.
The costs to the schools to have students at this center is roughly $450,000, less than a third of the cost should these same students require out-of-district placements to meet their needs. That cost would be in a range from $1.5 to $1.6 million.
A combination of federal CARES funds, contracted services lines and the appropriated budget is covering this added cost, according to school officials.
Morris said even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, what should make it safer to be in schools is that Amherst is a priority district for rapid symptomatic testing, meaning those who are exhibiting signs of the respiratory illness, such as a fever or runny nose, can get immediate tests.
Robin Suprenant, the nurse leader for the district, will be ready to do antigen tests on site with a quick turnaround, though Morris said any positives from this will need to be confirmed with a PCR test.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
