January 22, 2021
The Honorable Governor Charlie Baker
Massachusetts State House, Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Governor Baker:
You have been a staunch advocate for increasing in-person learning to students during the pandemic. Across the Commonwealth, our school superintendents have been strongly in agreement that our current remote and hybrid models deny students the high-quality education found in full in-person education.
The past 10 months have been filled with challenges for our school districts and superintendents. We are hopeful that the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine will be a turning point to better times for our students, their families, our teachers, and the entire education community.
It is in this spirit that I write on behalf of our school superintendents urging you to provide to us, as soon as possible, a clear plan for when, where, and how vaccines will be provided to all school personnel, including school bus drivers. Additionally, we ask you to provide us with your plan for any proposed policy or regulatory provisions which lay the foundational structures for greater in-person learning. As you consider vaccination plans, we ask you to consider using the February school vacation week to minimize further disruptions to and loss of teaching and learning for students, staff, and families. We urge you to provide to us a plan within a set window of time when all educators can receive the vaccine, regardless of geographic or demographic differences. We firmly believe the sooner a statewide plan is designed and shared publicly it will provide hope to the students and families in our Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a return to the beauty and power of the classroom and in-person learning.
In closing, we, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents stand ready to support you in this work and planning. Our superintendents are very creative problem solvers and are eager to serve you and your administration as thought partners with the logistical challenges we foresee ahead of us. We welcome the opportunity to be part of the solutions and look forward to better days ahead.
Sincerely,
Cc: Secretary Marylou Sudders, Health and Human Services