The Hopkinton School Committee’s 3-2 vote to become the first Massachusetts community to lift the mask requirement for COVID-19 vaccinated students and staff for a three-week trial period in November has brought forth a range of opinions from both inside and outside...
Featured: Education
Schools Notebook: Marathon School announces end to Halloween parade tradition; HHS debuts Fall Senior Transition Day
The annual Halloween costume parade for the town’s kindergartners and first grade is not being held this year, according to recent announcement from Marathon School. “We will not be celebrating Halloween at school with a Harvest Parade,” principal Lauren Dubeau wrote...
Teachers union ‘disappointed’ in School Committee’s vote for mask-optional trial period at HHS
The Hopkinton Teachers Association on Monday sent out a press release criticizing last week's decision by the School Committee to approve a three-week mask-optional trial period for vaccinated individuals at Hopkinton High School. Following is the text of the...
School Committee votes to lift mask mandate at HHS for 3-week trial period
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrgXVw-FeD0 In a 3-2 vote, the School Committee on Thursday decided to adopt a trial period during which time COVID-vaccinated students at Hopkinton High School can remove masks inside the building. The trial period will run from Nov....
Superintendent: HHS receives DESE approval to make masks voluntary for vaccinated individuals
Superintendent of Schools Carol Cavanaugh announced Tuesday via a press release that Hopkinton High School has been approved by the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to make masks voluntary for COVID-vaccinated individuals, although...
School Committee not ready to vote on rescinding mask mandate at HHS
Following an hour-long discussion Thursday night, the School Committee decided to hold off on a vote to rescind the mask requirement at Hopkinton High School at least until its Oct. 21 meeting. Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh outlined the updated mask policy from the...
School Committee roundup: Enrollment numbers updated; HHS addition still not finished; additional food staff requested
The School Committee met on Thursday night to discuss several issues, including progress on the high school addition, the need for more staff to prepare school lunches, and the implementation of the test and stay program at the district’s schools. In her...
Superintendent: ‘Strong return to full-time, in-person learning’ at Hopkinton schools
There have been some COVID cases at the Hopkinton Public Schools, but overall, the first few weeks have gone well, according to Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh. In an email to school families on Friday, Cavanaugh wrote that the schools "have enjoyed a strong return to...
School Committee approves all school improvement plans, teachers union contract
The School Committee at its meeting Thursday night unanimously approved the student improvement plans for each of the district’s five schools. The common thread among all the presentations was weaving a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) with education on...
Mass. education commissioner announces statewide mask requirement for K-12 students, staff
The state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education — after previously indicating each district would make its own determination — on Tuesday announced a statewide mask requirement for all public K-12 students and staff through at least Oct. 1. Education...
School bus routes finalized, available for viewing
The Hopkinton Public Schools Transportation Department announced Monday that bus routes for the 2021-22 school year have been finalized and are available at the transportation page on the schools website. Parents can find their child's pickup and drop-off location by...
School Committee votes unanimously to start school year with universal mask policy
The School Committee voted 5-0 at its meeting Thursday night to open the school year with the requirement that all students and staff wear masks. The policy will be reviewed on a monthly basis as new information on COVID-19 comes available. The committee made the...
Board of Health recommends masks in Hopkinton schools
Masks should be worn in the Hopkinton Public Schools when students return to class as part of “a layered approach” to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Board of Health recommended to the School Committee in a joint meeting Wednesday night. The School Committee is...
HHS senior runs so others can have water
Growing up in Hopkinton, Aryan Shah has enjoyed many privileges that most people of the world are unable to experience. Following a conversation last year with his father, Jinal, the rising senior at Hopkinton High School began to take stock of the many blessings in...
School Committee roundup: Mask use for upcoming school year debated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjYXDhiAmhs The use of masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was discussed at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, with a vote expected at the next meeting on Aug. 19. Representatives for two groups — one for and one opposed —...
Superintendent to discuss return to school, face coverings at School Committee meeting Thursday
An email from Superintendent of Schools Carol Cavanaugh to district families Monday indicated that Thursday’s School Committee meeting will include a presentation — but not a vote — about the return to school and face coverings to help protect against COVID-19. The...
School Committee’s Listening Series runs Aug. 1-24
The School Committee on Monday announced the schedule for its Listening Series, which it describes as "targeted office hours to help the School Committee hear directly from specific sectors of our school community about their lived experiences, challenges, successes...
School Committee roundup: Conduct policy discussed; HHS addition work continues
The bulk of Thursday’s School Committee meeting focused on the discussion of norms for committee members, which serve as a code of conduct and policy. “Every year the School Committee looks at the norms of how we do business,” said Chair Nancy Cavanaugh. “And we...
School Committee roundup: Enrollment numbers continue to rise; mask requirement debated
The School Committee on Thursday night discussed a number of issues at its hybrid meeting from the HCAM studio, including enrollment figures for the upcoming year and the importance of growing the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) to help address the...
School Committee roundup: Delays continue on high school addition; enrollment numbers jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH1NaJLAe-0 The Hopkinton School Committee met Thursday and discussed the progress on the high school addition, which now is expected to be mostly complete by the beginning of the school year after corrections to the work were made. The...