SUPERINTENDENT
Dear Williamstown Families,
Happy New Year and welcome back! It is my hope everyone enjoyed the winter break and spent quality time with family and friends. As we begin the second semester of the 2021-2022 school year on January 4, 2022, I want to share a few changes in our district operations. Please see the newly adopted board policy as it relates to masks, quarantines, and Test to Stay.
Updated School Operations
Effective January 3, 2022
Due to the availability of vaccines for everyone ages 5 and up, the following changes are being made to the District Operations Plan beginning January 3, 2022. Students and staff in the Head Start/Preschool program must continue to follow their federal regulations.
Face Masks Inside Schools
The use of face masks by all students and staff inside school buildings are recommended, except when actively engaged in eating, drinking or a physical activity. Students and staff who are not vaccinated are highly encouraged to continue wearing masks.
Masks will be required if the positivity rate for the district is 5% or more and will return to a recommendation when the positivity rate returns below 5%.
Per federal law, masks will continue to be required on school buses. Students must provide their own mask or disciplinary action, leading to dismissal from the bus, may incur. Please make sure your child is masked before boarding the bus each morning and has one at school if they ride the bus home.
Quarantine
Students who are sick with a fever should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours. The district will accept quarantines that are ordered by health professionals with appropriate documentation. Students will be expected to be in school unless too sick to attend. Upon return to school, a parent or doctor note will need to be supplied.
Test to Stay
The Test to Stay program will likely be discontinued since there are limited numbers utilizing the program.
As I mention this new policy, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to recognize the individuals who serve on the Williamstown Board of Education. January marks school board recognition month and as a community and school family, we owe a great deal of gratitude to Mrs. Angie Cleveland, Mrs. Sarah Dills, Mr. Jeff Dunaway, Mr. Roy Osborne, and Mr. Chris Spivey. As superintendent, I am fortunate to witness the selfless service of our board members. These individuals do not accept their allocated per diem, yet spend their time at band competitions, school plays, ball games and other school functions to support our students. They prepare for meetings by reading reports in order to provide input on discussions regarding academic standards, achievement gaps, college and career readiness, budgets, and much more. During the ongoing pandemic, they’ve had to make tough decisions and pivot multiple times. They are committed to helping Williamstown be the best place to learn and work. When you see one of our board members, please offer a “Thank you” for all they do for students, staff and the community.
For the 2022 calendar year, the board of education will continue to meet regularly on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 in the district office unless otherwise noted. Please see below for the yearly schedule. As a reminder, these meetings are open to the public and agendas and minutes are located on the district website.
Williamstown Independent Board of Education
2022 Schedule of Regular Meetings
- January 11, 2022
- February 8, 2022
- March 8, 2022
- April 12, 2022
- May 10, 2022
- June 14, 2022
- July 12, 2022
- August 9, 2022
- September 13, 2022
- October 11, 2022
- November 8, 2022
- December 13, 2022
Schools will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is my hope it will be our only day missed in January, but we never know if Mother Nature will have different plans. As a reminder, in the event of inclement weather, the district will utilize Non Traditional Instruction (NTI) days. Districts may utilize 10 of these days in a year. Your child’s school/teacher will send home specific information when using an NTI day. Families will be notified of any change in plans via the one call system as well as from our website and social media platforms. Please make sure we have your correct contact information on file in the event a call is made.
As we continue the rest of the 2021-2022 school year, I encourage all students, staff and families to remain committed to the academic excellence achieved thus far. I am so proud of the perseverance shown by our students and staff as they continue to work despite the challenges.
Board members, administrators, teachers and staff, and all stakeholders are essential to helping us achieve our vision: Preparing Students for Productive Citizenship. The Williamstown community is blessed with such committed, caring individuals.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2022. Let it be our best year yet!
With Demon Pride,
Misty Middleton
Superintendent