WESTPORT — Trying to stay ahead of fast-moving COVID-related changes, Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice shared further updates Monday night with families and staff, including possible concerns about transportation and substitutes, postponement of concerts & performances, and continued prohibition of visitors to school buildings through January.

Testing Kits

Scarice also said 5,040 iHealth COVID-19 test kits have been set aside for students and 864 Flow Flex kits for staff, ready for pickup tomorrow in conjunction with the town.

He said kits will be prioritized for symptomatic students and staff, those who have experienced direct exposure, and finally those in a setting with multiple positive cases, such as a classroom where multiple cases have been reported.

On Monday Scarice reported 53 new positive cases of COVID-19 among students and staff, following 163 new cases reported between Dec. 28 and Jan. 2.

“We will monitor our numbers over the next few days and determine if there is a need to increase the range of supports for students who cannot access in-person instruction,” he wrote, noting that new guidelines require a shorter five-day period of isolation, which may mean students may only miss three days of in-person learning.

“There are currently practices in place, including a tutoring model for our elementary students, and extra help sessions for middle and high school students,” he wrote.

Staffing & Transportation

While Scarice said there appeared to be adequate staffing for Tuesday, he added, “There is a significant shortage of substitute teachers, so covering classes of absent teachers will be a challenge.”

“The bus driver roster is thin,” he said, and while there are enough drivers to start, he said “there is the possibility of combining more routes to cover all student pickups and drop offs.”

Consequently, he urged parents to transport students where possible in order to “thin out” the number of riders, as well as making necessary runs more efficient.

“Students will only be permitted to ride on their buses,” he said. “The opportunity to ride on another bus has been suspended for the time being.”

Mid-Terms at SHS

Mid-term exams scheduled at Staples High School are being modified, Scarice wrote.

“These modifications include significantly reducing the weighting of the exam on a student’s grade,” he said, and expanding the time for making up an exam.

More details will be provided by the SHS administration, he said.

Visitors to School Buildings

While visitors were not currently allowed in school buildings this upcoming week, Scarice said this policy has been expanded through January.

“Parents’ meetings with faculty and administrators will be done virtually for the month,” Scarice wrote.

After-school programs, he said, are being treated on a case-by-case basis, with more information forthcoming.

After-school programs at the three secondary-level schools, he said, “will continue at the present moment,” while after- and before-school programming at the elementary schools are suspended at least through this week.

“A reassessment will be done at the end of this week,” Scarice wrote.

Interim Plan

“This is intended to be an interim plan,” Scarice wrote, noting that it will be reevaluated in relation to changing circumstances, after which an extension will be considered.

At this time, however, he said many of these provisions will “sunset by Jan. 28.”