March 11, 2022
Dear Smithfield Staff and Families,
This 26th edition of the Back to School report includes our weekly report on COVID cases, voluntary surveillance testing, and town data.
A Weekly Report on COVID Cases
Over the past week, we have had an additional 7 confirmed COVID cases. This brings our total since our school year began to 896 cases. There was 1 case identified at SHS, 0 cases identified at Gallagher, 3 cases at Pleasant View Elementary, 0 cases at LaPerche Elementary and 3 cases at Old County Road Elementary.
Voluntary Surveillance Testing Continues
We will continue to COVID test weekly those students and staff who choose. You can decide to take part at any time. The consent is available here. Covid Testing Consent . All students who choose to participate will be entered into a drawing weekly for an Amazon gift card.
Town Data
The weekly number of new COVID cases for the week ending March 5th increased just slightly to 28 cases, from 24 the week prior. The number of cases in the state has remained constant at 1157 cases for that same week. The town rate corresponds to a weekly rate of 109 new cases per 100,000 residents. The CDC has issued updated guidance for measuring community level risk for COVID-19. Rhode Island is in the process of transitioning to this new framework. This data is available at https://bit.ly/2PxCgDM.
Sincerely,
Judy Paolucci, Superintendent