Barnstable, Aug. 20, 2025 — Superintendent Dr. Sarah Hearn and district leaders told the School Committee Wednesday that summer work focused on safety protocols, building preparations and curriculum funding as staff prepared for the new school year.

Dr. Hearn said district facilities teams and contracted firm EnviroMed were conducting air‑quality clearance testing this week at Barnstable United Elementary School and elsewhere; carpet installation and demolition prep for two portables were under way, and the district is completing required fire and building inspections. “EnviroMed is in this week conducting clearance testing from the testing that they had done in the spring,” Dr. Hearn said.

The district also hosted a three‑day leadership retreat that included training on the I Love You Guys response protocols for unified incident language and off‑site reunification procedures. “One of the strengths of the I Love You Guys standards response protocol is that it takes our ALICE work and then adds to it,” Dr. Hearn said, and the district plans a formal presentation to the committee in a future meeting.

On communications, the district has engaged a public‑relations firm, Pierce Cote (affiliate of Regan Communications), to support crisis and routine messaging; the firm will meet with the committee in September.

On curriculum, Assistant Superintendent Kristen said the district was awarded a PRISM (Partnerships for Reading Success in Massachusetts) grant—PRISM 3 Track 2—to support a secondary ELA curriculum review, pilot and adoption process. “We were notified at the July that we've been awarded the grant. It's a 4‑year grant,” Kristen said; the funding will support stipends, consultant coaching (TNTP with consultant Ari Kovacs), purchase of instructional materials and a fourth year of sustainability support beyond typical grant cycles.

Superintendent Hearn and staff also reviewed operational readiness: bus routes and passes were prepared for the first week of classes, custodial and facilities crews completed summer work, and training for staff on classroom uses of artificial intelligence and student privacy had been provided.

Why it matters: The report outlines near‑term safety, facilities and curriculum investments that will affect classroom routines and district communications in the coming school year.

Next steps: Staff will return with a capital projects update at the September meeting, a fuller presentation on the I Love You Guys protocol, and implementation plans for the PRISM curriculum work.