GARDINER — Maine School Administrative District 11 will soon have a group of people devoted to helping keep its students safe as the coronavirus pandemic continues its surge in Maine.

When the MSAD 11 school board voted to require mask wearing in the district’s buildings, the idea was forwarded as a way to monitor and track progress in its schools. The thinking is that a committee focused on COVID-19 can use information from MSAD 11, the U.S. and Maine Centers for Disease Control, and the state Department of Education to shape how the district responds.

Superintendent Patricia Hopkins reviewed the scope of the committee with the school board Thursday night, and asked for their permission to move forward.

“It would focus on what data to present to the board, prior to voting on universal masking, use the data for a point of guidance, but then figure out what it means,” she said. “They should be responsible for looking at student and staff COVID-19 cases, the close contacts, review Kennebec County transmission data, use the U.S. CDC tracker, review student and staff vaccination rates, and be prepared to make a decision based on that data.”

Hopkins is adamant about using data supplied by the CDC, DOE and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services because she does not want there to be room for “any opinion” that might come through from other sources. She told the board she “doesn’t think it would be fair” for her to make decisions based on “ideology and opinion.”

Board members Matthew Marshall and Matthew Lillibridge were chosen for the committee, but the other representatives have not been selected yet. Hopkins, Angela Hardy, assistant superintendent and curriculum director, and Director of Transportation Gabe Dostie are expected to be a part of the group. Others will likely include an administrator from each MSAD 11 building, one or two school nurses, a teacher’s association representative and parents, likely one from the elementary level and one from a secondary school.

The board gave Hopkins the ability to form the remainder of the committee with each member being approved.

Lillibridge has been vocal about his experience working in Colby College’s COVID-19 testing facility and has shared his expertise on the matter at board meetings when determining coronavirus guidelines. He was not at the school board meeting Thursday night to accept his nomination, but the rest of the board members thought he would be a good addition to the committee.

The plan is for the committee to meet monthly and present the data to the school board. The school board will then review the committee’s findings to determine the district’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The idea is that data will inform when masking could become optional in school.

“I think this committee has to be laser focused on data and what’s right for our district, and we have to bring that forward when we vote,” Marshall said.

Hopkins also shared data with the school board Thursday night on how the district fared with the coronavirus last year.

Within the next 10 days, the district will be required to share teacher COVID-19 vaccination data with the DOE and DHHS. The data will be broken down by building and collected anonymously. Two weeks ago, the same departments launched a student dashboard where vaccination rate is broken down by district based around eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine — MSAD 11 currently has a student vaccination rate of 50 to 54%.

While the next school board meeting will be Oct. 7, no date has been scheduled for the first COVID-19 committee meeting.

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