Gill-Montague School Committee Unanimously Mandates Pool Testing for Student Activities

GILL — December 21, 2022 — Gill-Montague School Committee votes unanimously to mandate pool testing and raise substitute nurse pay amid record COVID levels. The eight-member board voted 8-0 at its December 21 meeting to require pool testing for all students in athletics and extracurricular activities, with the policy taking effect January 8, 2022, under newly adopted policy JLCF. Substitute nurse daily pay rises from $175 to $200, which Business Manager Joanne said makes the district "more competitive" with most area schools. Superintendent Brian reported that COVID percent positivity had hit its highest point since the pandemic began across all 11 communities the district monitors, with Franklin County ranked high by the CDC for transmission. In a wide-ranging social-emotional update, principals from each school described the worst behavioral climate in memory, with Sheffield Elementary Principal Melissa saying this had been "the roughest start of the school year" she had seen, and Gill Elementary reporting students who had never experienced a complete school year with peers. The committee also approved three warrants totaling $163,563.13, and the open Montague School Committee seat remained unfilled with no letters of interest received.