LYNN NEWS ROUND-UP
AUGUST 31, 2020

See our other COVID-19 related posts by clicking here.

COVID-19 testing this week in Lynn

The City of Lynn has been selected to be a part of the state’s “Stop the Spread” Initiative. The program began on Friday, July 10th and will last until September 12th. Please call the Lynn Community Health Center at (781) 581-3900 to make an appointment at the Health Center. Walk-ins are also welcome. This week you can find COVID-19 testing in Lynn at:

• Fallon Ambulance offers testing at the following locations. Walk up Only:
  • Parking lot at Lynn English High School
    • Mon – Sat from 11 AM until 5 PM
  • Parking Lot across from Sacred Heart Church on Boston Street
    • Mon, Wed, and Friday 7 AM until 11 AM
    • Tues & Thurs 2 PM until 6 PM
• Call Lynn Community Health Center (581) 3900 to make a COVID-19 test appointment at 9 Buffum Street location

  

• Call Health Innovations at (774)-264-0604 to schedule a test at their mobile van location at Lynn School Administration Building at 100 Bennett Street. Walk-ins are also welcome.
  • Mon: 10 AM until 2 PM
  • Tues: 1 PM until 5 PM
  • Wed: 10 AM until 2 PM
  • Thurs: 1 PM until 5 PM

Superintendent’s Report To The School Committee -August 27, 2020

On Friday, August 13, 2020, the Lynn Public Schools reopening report was released.  Along with it, we posted an accessible set of frequently asked questions and responses.  While we were required to post and submit a final report on or before August 13th, all should be reminded that this is a living document and the plans therein could change.  The substance of the report was an attempt to meet the stated requirements by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, but more importantly share with families and the community as a whole framework for how we intend to provide an excellent education and supports for students in the safest manner possible this school year.  This involves engaging at times and in ways that are less than ideal.  Nonetheless, we are intensely focused on this year being a good one despite the challenges.  We owe it to our students and their families.

In a context where there is uncertainty and concern, both of which are well-placed, we consistently focus on moving forward in positive fashion.  Undoubtedly, there are challenges and changes that are less than ideal, yet there are also shifts that will positively impact student, family, and staff experiences going forward.  We continue to celebrate the shift we are making to provide a robust learning experience for students, first and foremost, and fulfilling experience from the standpoint of the tools available for staff.  Further, our learning management system, Schoology, will provide a simple yet rich opportunity for learning and communication with families.  Providing an online registration platform for families new to the district is almost complete.  This will make the registration process more seamless and convenient for families.  And finally, we have purchased a virtual environment that makes the onboarding process for newly-hired professionals much easier.  The context is challenging, make no mistake about it.  Nonetheless, we are moving forward and evolving accordingly.

We are also evolving in response to events related to race and inclusion.  Clear in our strategic plan and in 2019-20 district improvement goals, there was an existing effort to be better, more evolved, more responsive in the realm of cultural competence, race, and inclusion.  Events in the late spring involving the untimely and unnecessary death of George Floyd and the nation’s response, has spurred a sense of urgency around this work.  In keeping with the resolution adopted by the school committee on June 11, 2020, we have developed a plan around professional learning, research and action.

In partnership with Matthew Rodriguez, the Chicago-based facilitator who brilliantly led the race and equity professional development for the district’s leadership last year, two projects have been developed and will be implemented this year.  The first is focused professional development for all staff designed to help our team understand where and how racism manifests in the processes of teaching and learning and in our schools.  It is also designed to support staff in developing strategies to directly confront these issues.  Given the immense amount of professional learning required to launch the year, this will begin in January.

At the secondary level, we are taking the strategy of youth participatory action research to support the development of the inclusivity panels.  In this approach, students will be coached on taking the lead in understanding the issue(s) as it exists at their schools and play a significant role in addressing it/them.  This will not only be a learning exercise as they are taught how to effectively research the problem, it will also be a change vehicle as they partner with educators in the building to address the identified issues.  Frameworks for both projects are described in more detail below

The intent in this missive is not at all intended to dismiss the challenge, disappointment, or concern related to the upcoming school year.  This school year will indeed be unlike no other.  Nonetheless, there is opportunity in every difficulty.  We are taking significant steps forward to be better, more evolved, and more responsive.  The term continuous improvement has become a cliché, but it does have an enduring applicability.  We are certainly embracing that concept as we prepare to welcome our young scholars back to the 2020-21 school year.

Respectfully Submitted,

Patrick Tutwiler, PhD

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From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 597 with 4 new cases today. 3,843 Lynn residents have recovered and 114 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 4,554. Please visit the new City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).