Superintendent's Update - May 27, 2022
Dear Monomoy families and staff,
As we continue to mourn and process the tragic loss of life earlier this week in Uvalde, Texas, recent events also remind us of the need to be vigilant here locally. Today we were faced with a threat and, with the support of local police and fire, state police, and mobile units from the state police bomb squad, we were able safely evacuate students and staff, reunite students with parents, and have the school and grounds swept – thankfully no devices were found and the threat was determined to be non-credible.
It’s times like this to once again emphasize the importance of the concept of “see (or hear) something, say something.” Conveying a message of concern about something seen or heard allows us to protect one another. I want to compliment those who “said something” minutes after a threat was scribbled in a 5th grade girls bathroom earlier this week. This allowed our middle school team and School Resource Officer Massey to investigate the situation, determine that the threat was not credible, and address the situation within a short time frame.
These have been a stressful few days. Between the today’s bomb threat, the rumor mill, the tragedy in Texas, and the racially motivated Buffalo supermarket shooting days earlier, students may feel anxious and may need someone to talk to. Please remember that our school counselors are available to support your children and family. There are also helpful links with tips on talking to children about violence in my latest blog post/email.
In terms of less distressing updates, it’s hard to believe there is just a month left of school for our students -- and that our seniors are officially done. This is an exciting and busy time of year, with lots of celebrations, fun events, tournament games, graduation, and more. And our COVID numbers continue to slowly decrease -- new COVID cases have dropped from 50 two weeks ago to 37 last week to 21 this week. You can see a breakdown of the numbers by school on our dashboard.
We thank the voters of Chatham and Harwich for approving the changes to the Monomoy Regional Agreement at Town Meeting in recent weeks. The updated Regional Agreement calls for each town to pay for its elementary school, while still apportioning costs for the regional middle and high schools proportionally between the two towns. This change benefits Harwich, its families, and its taxpayers by shifting costs from Harwich to Chatham to make operations of the elementary schools fiscally equitable, and it benefits Chatham and its families by ensuring that strong educational programming continues at Chatham Elementary. It also supports passage of sound school budgets (by providing fiscal relief to Harwich) that will allow the district to maintain programs and quality across all grades K-12. Once the revised agreement is approved by the state Department of Education, it will go into effect immediately.
Wishing you a happy, safe, and fun Memorial Day Weekend.
Take care.
Scott Carpenter, Ed.D.
Superintendent