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.