September 27, 2021 By Carol Britton Meyer
Interim Supt. of Schools Gary Maestas gave rave reviews about the first day of school to the School Committee Monday night.
"The new school year is off to a really good start," he said. "I've had the opportunity to visit every classroom in the elementary and middle schools and I plan to stop by the high school this week."
Maestas was happy to see the "kids being kids," the teachers instructing students in-person, the cleanliness of the school buildings, and the overall operation of the Hingham Public Schools going smoothly.
"I'm very proud of our schools and our principals," he said.
Maestas explained that open houses marking the beginning of the new school year will be held virtually due to concerns about whether there would be adequate time to get the schools ready for students and staff according to COVID health and safety protocols by the following morning after holding evening open houses.
In other business at the meeting:
- Starting this week, the School Department will report the number of positive COVID cases in the Hingham Public Schools, if any, to the Department of Education -- as requested by the DOE -- on Fridays. These and the overall number of COVID-19 cases in town will be posted on a weekly basis on the town website by the Health Department.
"We've had one positive case in the [HPS] involving a student as of last week," Maestas said. - SC member Michelle Ayer is the student outreach coordinator who will work with HHS principal Rick Swanson to establish a student advisory committee to the School Committee, which will provide an opportunity for students to participate in committee discussions.
- Maestas was appointed by the committee to serve on the South Shore Educational Collaborative board of directors.