Superintendent reports COVID counts, sets May 9 target to resume regular groupings and outlines multi‑agency safety drills

Assistant Superintendent Jason DeFalco opened the superintendent's report and turned to Karen for a health update. Karen reported rising case counts and town vaccination rates, stating, “we are now up to 623 cases” year‑to‑date and that Blackstone's overall vaccination rate is about 60 percent while Millville's reached about 50 percent. She said current quarantine and isolation protocols remain in place until guidance from the CDC and state Department of Public Health changes.

The district announced a plan to resume regular student groupings and cafeteria service beginning the week of May 9 (a two‑week window after vacation was cited to allow any cases to appear and be managed first). The return includes moving away from rows‑facing seating and restoring normal group configurations in classrooms and cafeterias unless public‑health authorities advise otherwise.

On safety planning, DeFalco described a multi‑agency intruder‑response drill planned for June to be run with local police, fire, EMS, town administrators and school staff. He emphasized calm rehearsals and debriefs, saying the district's objective is preparedness rather than alarm: "our mantra is not panic — we prepare; we don't panic," and the district will conduct a May 3 coordinating meeting at the Blackstone Library with chiefs and first responders to review the scenario and reunification logistics.

The district also confirmed a prom‑safety exercise (a mock crash) with the Blackstone Fire Department scheduled for May 4 for sophomores, juniors and seniors to illustrate the consequences of impaired driving and to provide before/during/after context for students.

No policy changes were enacted in this segment; the district framed the items as operational updates with scheduled next steps and ongoing coordination with first responders.