Skip to the content
Home / Latest / Family Letter from Lynn Public Schools, weekly COVID-19 number from the state, MBTA virtual public meeting, & more | September 4, 2020

Family Letter from Lynn Public Schools, weekly COVID-19 number from the state, MBTA virtual public meeting, & more | September 4, 2020

Support LCTV with your membership

LYNN NEWS ROUND-UP
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

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


Lynn Public Schools – Family Letter #6

Dear Lynn Public Schools Families,
I am writing to update you on matters related to the upcoming school year. This week, we welcomed staff back for the first four of ten total professional learning days. As I have said many times, we are preparing to launch the upcoming school year in a way never done before. This requires significant shifts to the way in which teaching and learning are done and thus thoughtfully facilitated professional learning experiences. I have also said many times that if any group of professionals is up to the task, it is the Lynn Public Schools staff. We had a solid week of learning and will continue in earnest next week.

????????????????????????????

Device distribution continues and I am pleased to share that we have distributed more than 10,000 devices. By way of reminder, we currently have enough devices for each student to have one, grades 3-12. Building principals have and will continue to send communication on pick-up dates and times. Please call your student’s school if you have not yet retrieved a device. LPS was awarded a significant grant to allow us to purchase additional devices for grades k-2. Those devices have been ordered. It should come as no surprise that there is a global shortage of devices and thus delays in deliveries. Nonetheless, we are crafting a plan to support student learning in grades K-2 while we await delivery. More in short order.

???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????

Lynn Public Schools is offering a Remote Learning Academy for students who choose to enroll in a full remote learning mode for the entire school year. The Remote Learning Academy allows LPS students to access a fully online educational experience, which is designed and provided by Connections Academy (also known as TECCA). We administered a nonbinding survey to get a sense for how many families were interested in that option. The next step is to provide those who are interested, whether they indicated as much in the survey or not, information on the program before a final decision is made.
The Connections Academy has provided this informational video (use code: dqdD=5cB). specifically for Lynn. We are asking those who are interested to make a final decision on or before Thursday, September 10th. A link to a form will be sent on ????????????????????????????, ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????? for those wishing to pursue this opportunity. Be reminded that a decision to join the Remote Learning Academy reflects a commitment for the entire school year.

???????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????

As we prepare to open the 2020-21 school year in a way never done before in Lynn, I want to make sure that you are informed and can have your questions answered. Many answers to questions can be found on the Reopening Safely page on the Lynn Public Schools website. Therein, one will find the reopening plan, a frequently asked questions document, and a technology support space. As we near the beginning of the school year, your first point of contact should be your child’s school principal. We always welcome your questions on the dedicated e-mail address lpsreopening-families@lynnschools.org.
Yours in partnership,
Patrick Tutwiler, PhD
Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools
Download this letter in English & Spanish.
Watch last night’s School Committee meeting by clicking here.

Interview with Lynn Fire Dept.

Earlier this week we sat down with Lynn Fire Dept. Captain Joe Zukas to discuss how the Fire Dept. is handling the COVID-19 pandemic and more.


Weekly COVID-19 numbers from MA Dept. of Public Health, Lynn positivity rates down

Click for full report

Every week on the MA Department of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.

There are currently 49 communities in the yellow category, with 4-8 cases per 100K. On the plus sides there are now 8 communities in the red, with more than 8 cases per 100K, and Lynn’s numbers are dropping.

Below are the statistics for the communities in red, which includes Lynn. Lynn topped the categories this week in case count overall, total tests (overall & over 14 days), & total positive tests over 14 days. However, the positivity rate over the last 14 days has decreased dramatically. Last week Lynn was at 6.08% (worst in the state), but this week we are at 5%.

This dip in positivity rates is a very good sign, as it indicates less positive COVID-19 cases relative to the population of Lynn popping up. However the community is urged to remain vigilant, get tested, and follow distance & mask guidelines.

City/Town Total Case Count Case Count (Last 14 Days) Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 (Last 14 days) Relative Change in Case Counts Total Tests Total Tests (Last 14 days) Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days) Percent Positivity (Last 14 days) Change in Percent Positivity
Chelsea 3388 155 29.4 Lower 23407 3061 180 5.88% Lower
Everett 2083 108 15.9 Higher 19453 2433 120 4.93% Higher
Framingham 2024 114 10.9 Higher 23655 3523 122 3.46% Higher
Lawrence 4151 184 14.9 Higher 38301 4489 207 4.61% Higher
Lynn 4507 171 12.1 Lower 42047 5185 259 5.00% Lower
Revere 2354 178 20.9 Lower 25096 3964 228 5.75% No Change
Westhampton 10 5 21.0 Higher 269 47 5 10.64% Higher
Winthrop 370 22 8.3 Lower 7865 1924 29 1.51% Lower

Virtual Public Meeting for the Lynn Commercial Street Bridge Replacement Project

Proposed Commercial Street Bridge replacement, click for full-resolution image

The MBTA invites you to a virtual public information meeting for the Commercial Street Bridge Replacement Project, hosted on Zoom. This virtual public meeting will take placeonWednesday, September 9, 2020 from 6-7:30pm.

The MBTA Capital Delivery Department and its Design-Build Team will present a design and construction update for the replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge. The bridge carries commuter rail service for the Newburyport/Rockport Line over Commercial Street in Lynn between River Works and Lynn Station. The existing steel bridge, built in 1913, is being replaced as a part of the MBTA’s reliability and modernization program.
Please visit https://www.mbta.com/projects/rail-bridge-replacements#commercial for more information on how to join the meeting. If accommodations are needed such as closed captioning or language interpretation, or for other inquiries and comments related to the project, please email CommercialStBridge@MBTA.com or call our 24-hour hotline at 617-571-7878.
For more information about the project visit MBTA.com/CommercialStBridge.

Updates from state government

  • As of Thursday night, DPH reported a total of 119,819 cases of COVID-19. The state has now confirmed a total of 8,870 deaths from the virus.
  • The number of communities categorized by the state as at the highest risk for COVID-19 spread fell again in the latest weekly report. Brockton and Sutton no longer fall into the “red” or high risk category, a designation assigned to communities with a daily average more than eight cases per 100,000 residents reported over the last two weeks. Seven communities remain coded red from last week, Chelsea, Everett, Framingham, Lawrence, Lynn, Revere and Winthrop. Of those, the highest rate is in Chelsea, with 29.4 cases per 100,000 residents, down from 31.9 last week. Nearby Revere, home to the next highest rate, experienced a slight uptick, from 20.4 last week to 20.9.
  • Field teams will fan out across 15 locations this weekend to encourage people to do their part to slow the spread of the coronavirus and connect them with resources as the Baker administration launches a new campaign to address the five Massachusetts communities that have shown the most persistently high COVID-19 case and transmission rates.
  • An extension of the COVID-19 Enforcement and Intervention Team announced in August to assist high-risk communities, the newest effort is expected to feature billboard ads, digital and social media messaging, multi-lingual field teams, phone and text outreach, and communication with local organizations. It will all be focused on Chelsea, Everett, Lawrence, Lynn and Revere, five communities that the governor said have recorded “persistent dangerously-high transmission rates” for the potentially fatal virus.
  • The Senate agreed Thursday to give the Transportation Committee eight more days to act on a commercial driver’s license reform bill (H 3980), which Gov. Charlie Baker filed in July 2019 after a driver whose Massachusetts license should have been suspended caused a crash in New Hampshire that led to multiple fatalities.
  • Senators also amended and passed legislation to convey the UMass agricultural extension’s Waltham field station to the city of Waltham. The bill (S 2906) requires that the land be used for open space, recreation, or agricultural purposes.
  • A historic house at Bradley Palmer State Park in Hamilton, which is leased out by the Department of Conservation and Recreation under the Historic Curatorship Program, would be exempted from taxes under a bill (H 4193) also approved Thursday.
  • The House granted the Labor and Workforce Development Committee more time Thursday to decide on a trio of bills dealing with essential workers, COVID-19 unemployment benefits for non-profits, and workers compensation protection. The House agreed to a Senate amendment that would give the committee until Sept. 10 to report on the bills.
  • The House also gave initial approval to bills creating several memorial bridges in Leicester and passed legislation allowing for a memorial bridge in Gardner.
  • U.S Rep. Katherine Clark said Thursday that Democrats could look to use the federal budget process to force more spending if they can’t reach a deal with Senate Republicans and the White House on a new stimulus bill. Clark, a top-ranking Democrat in the House, said Democrats will “continue to push” for the Senate to take up a version of the more than $3 trillion Heroes Act, but said the federal budget could be a vehicle for COVID-19 relief spending if that fails.
  • Massachusetts lawmakers still have not approved a budget for the fiscal year that began in July, and could be looking at a $6 billion revenue gap. The nation’s governors have requested $500 billion to stabilize state finances, and Gov. Charlie Baker has said that it’s imperative for Congress to do something to help.
  • On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for jobless benefits in the week ending Aug. 29 fell by 130,000 to a seasonally adjusted 881,000, which some officials pointed to as a sign that the economy was slowly recovering. The department, however, reported that initial claims were up 460 to 18,054 in Massachusetts, where the unemployment rate has been among the highest in the country.

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 559 with 10 new cases today. 3,944 Lynn residents have recovered and 117 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 4,620. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

STOP THE SPREAD Initiative

COVID-19 mobile testing sites in the City week of 9/7:
•Fallon Ambulance offers testing at the following locations. Walk up Only:

Parking lot at Lynn English High School
Mon – Sat from 11:00am until 5:00pm

Parking Lot across from Market Basket on Federal Street
Mon – Sat 12:00pm-6:00pm

Call Lynn Community Health Center (581) 3900 to make a COVID-19 test appointment at 9 Buffum Street location

Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for more information on how you can get a free COVID-19 test in the City of Lynn until September 12.

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).

If you have a news story that you would like to share, please contact us via email or call 781-780-9460.

Our Sponsors