COVID-19 Closes Two Grades at North Adams Elementary School

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Cases of COVID-19 among staff at Colegrove Park Elementary School is causing the closure of one grade for the week and remote learning for another. 
 
Kindergarten classes are closed this week with a reopening date of Tuesday, Jan. 18, and third grade will be remote also until next Tuesday. 
 
Parents and staff were notified of the closures on Monday afternoon. Superintendent Barbara Malkas in an update posted on the school district website reported that there were 31 positive cases reported in the schools. 
 
Colegrove had the most at 11, Brayton and Drury High had seven each, and Greylock reported six. 
 
"Every individual with a potential exposure has been contacted and given instructions on the course of action they need to take according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidelines regarding quarantine, including self-isolating and testing," Malkas wrote. 
 
The school system has been participating in the state's "test and stay" program that allows those who have been in close contact with an infected individual but aren't showing symptoms to be rapid tested for seven consectuvie days. As long as the student remain asymptomatic and has negative results, they can stay in school. 
 
Only about half the city's children in the 5 to 11 age group are vaccinated.
 

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Letter: North Adams Parking Survey

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I am inviting North Adams residents and visitors to take part in a citizen-developed survey about parking in our city. As a new resident, I was surprised to learn about the winter nighttime parking ban only after receiving a ticket. My appeal was denied, despite the fact that the ban was not proactively communicated. Information online is scattered, and enforcement dates appear inconsistent. In five other Massachusetts communities where I have lived, I never encountered a total winter parking ban.

Conversations with neighbors and local friends suggest that communication failures are a recurring issue for drivers here. From parking meters without posted enforcement hours, to Mass MoCA event parking, to the winter overnight ban, residents and visitors alike are left confused. To encourage better communication, I believe tickets issued without clear notice should be waived. With the city already investing in CodeRed alerts and maintaining a downtown marquee, it should not be difficult to keep drivers informed of parking rules.

I know I'm just one person with a limited view of the bigger picture. That's why I'm hoping this survey will collect a wide range of experiences and ideas. I'll share the results with City Council so we can push for clearer communication and better parking policies. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and make sure your voice is heard.

The parking survey can be found here

Elizabeth Neiderman
North Adams, Mass. 

 

 

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