Littleton School Committee Defers Mask-Optional Trial, Reviews Surging COVID Data

LITTLETON — January 13, 2022 — Littleton School Committee defers mask-optional trial vote as Omicron doubles town case count. The committee voted unanimously January 13 to accept its consent agenda but took no formal action on relaunching a mask-flexibility trial at Littleton High School after the Littleton Board of Health voted the prior evening to fully rescind an earlier waiver, citing an expired start date embedded in the original motion. Superintendent Kelly Clancy described a difficult return from the holiday break, including a New Year's Day staff testing drive-through with 86 percent participation that turned up seven positives, and at least one day when 21 staff absences pushed the district close to considering a school closure. Public health consultant Karen Hagberg reported Littleton recorded 293 COVID cases in the two weeks ending January 8 — nearly double the prior period — with a town test positivity rate of 18.5 percent and an average daily incidence rate of 214.5 per 100,000. The district's FY23 budget request, submitted to the town, calls for approximately $460,000 in new spending, a roughly 2 percent increase that Director of Finance Justin Costin said comes in "significantly less" than the town's initial planning figure.