Dear SPS Families,

It was wonderful to welcome everyone back from what I hope was a restorative winter break. We continued our COVID surveillance protocols including pooled testing and tracking at-home testing results. Families can access surveillance results on the SPS COVID dashboard.

On Monday, March 7th, Sudbury’s Masking Mandate changes to an advisory meaning that individuals may choose to wear a mask in public places but are not required to do so. SPS will also be lifting its mask mandate. Students, staff, and visitors may choose not to wear a mask will not be required to do so, except for the following exceptions:

• In the Schools’ Health Offices

• Those returning between days 6 and 10 of a Covid-positive diagnosis as stated in current guidelines.

Following recently released guidelines from the CDC, mask wearing will also be optional on Sudbury school buses as long as the transmission rate remains low. Additional information about COVID resources can be found on the DESE website.

Throughout the pandemic, we have been called upon to be flexible and to prioritize the social and emotional well-being of our students. To prepare for this most recent change to protocols, we have developed instructional units for students which teachers are sharing with students this week. The units have several common themes:

• We want everyone to be safe and healthy;

• Families and schools make choices that are intended to keep everyone safe;

• Some people will be wearing masks and some will not;

• It is important to respect the choices that individuals and families make regarding masking;

• It is important to be kind and to accept others’ decisions about safety and habits, respect others’ sense of privacy, and not ask others about why they do or do not wear a mask.

We will continue to carefully monitor COVID metrics and collaborate with local and state authorities. We remain hopeful that the district can continue to relax restrictions and prioritize collaboration and community involvement.

In closing, I also want to recognize the crisis in Ukraine and the pain and uncertainty that it is causing. To augment the existing resources on our Social Emotional website, our mental health team has posted some resources that are specific to the Ukrainian crisis. Please reach out to your building administrator or school counselor if you or your family need support in these uncertain times.

Regards,

Brad Crozier, Superintendent