Town seeks candidates for interim school board seat

The deadline to apply for the interim School Committee seat vacated recently by Charles Rae is October 16 at 5 p.m. The appointment will be made by a joint vote of the School Committee and Select Board, and the appointee will serve until the April 2022 town election. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest and resume to the Select Board, Memorial Hall, 801 Washington St., Canton, MA 02021. The appointment will be made at a public meeting no later than early November.

COVID Update: ‘Substantial’ risk level remains

According to the Canton Public Schools’ COVID-19 dashboard, 17 positive cases were reported among students and staff during the first two weeks of September. Eight of those cases were identified between September 9 and 15, including four students at CHS, two students at GMS, and one student each at the Luce and Hansen schools. Also during this period, 34 students and one staff member were identified as close contacts.

In a Reverse 911 message issued last Friday, Fire Chief and Emergency Services Coordinator Charles Doody reported that the town had 24 positive cases over the previous week, placing Canton in the “substantial” risk category per CDC metrics. Doody noted that the town’s seven-day positivity rate was 2.11 percent, compared to less than 1 percent in May. To date, 85 Canton residents have died from COVID-19.

The chief reminded listeners that the town-wide indoor mask mandate will remain in effect until Canton’s community transmission level meets the CDC definition of moderate risk, at which point the mandate would become a strong recommendation. Canton’s status can be found on the COVID statistics page on the Board of Health website.

In other COVID news, Doody reported that the Health Department has requested booster doses of the vaccine as soon as the CDC and state make them available. Upon confirmation, the town will schedule vaccination clinics to administer the booster shots. Additionally, the town has ordered more Moderna vaccine for first- and second-dose clinics and will announce those clinics once a shipment date has been obtained. Also, the Health Department continues to host COVID testing clinics every Tuesday from 9-11 a.m. at Pequitside Farm. No appointment is necessary, and results will be emailed before 1 p.m. the same day.

CAASA announces website updates

The Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) has freshened up its website. Visit cantonalliance.org to learn more about upcoming events, past programming, and resources. Fill out the CAASA interest form to get involved. CAASA has also gone virtual — the next meeting will take place over Zoom with a special guest appearance from Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey. Visit the CAASA website for meeting details. Meetings are open to all.

See this week’s Citizen for more News Notes by Mike Berger. Special fall promo for new subscribers: Click here to order your subscription today (also available in digital form).

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Posted by Mike Berger on Sep 24 2021. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.