Seekonk Schools Will Remain in Hybrid Model

Seekonk Public Schools will remain in a hybrid model for the foreseeable future due to rising rates of Covid-19 in Massachusetts.

For the last two weeks of October, the state Department of Health has placed Seekonk in the red zone, for cities and towns with the highest rate of new infections. There were 19 cases reported the week ending October 22. That number jumped to 40 for the week ending October 29. The daily incidence rate was 20.4 cases per 100,000 residents for the last 14 days.

“We want to keep six feet of distancing through our hybrid model,” Superintendent Rich Drolet said Monday. “I won’t be talking about bringing more students back until the numbers do decrease.”

Drolet said if the statistics showed Seekonk in the red for a three or four week period, the schools might return to a fully remote model.

Governor Charlie Baker and the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are urging schools to remain open for now.

“We would definitely shift to remote learning for a school if we ever had a cluster or any sort of transmission in the schools,” Drolet said.

Last month, two positive cases of Covid-19 were reported at Aitken and Martin Elementary schools.

Drolet said the contract tracing for those individuals revealed the transmission occurred outside of the schools.

“Our staff and students are doing a great job with following all of the rules,” Drolet added. “I do think schools are the safest public places to be because we’re doing such a good job following all of the rules.”