Dr. Kate Carbone, Superintendent of Schools, opened her letter to parents last week with this sentence, “It is an understatement to say that we are very excited for the first day of school with ALL of our scholars back together this Monday, August 30, 2021! ”

And the Bristol schools opened without a glitch on Monday morning, as all parties involved- students, teachers, administrators and parents were happy to get back to a full-time schedule for all.

After almost a year and a half of distance learning, hybrid schedules, aborted or altered athletic seasons, and seemingly one disruption after another, schools are back to a regular day with all activities on full go status.

There was some apprehension about the mandatory mask policy for today’s opening, especially after a small group of anti-mask advocates were able to end a Board of Education committee meeting last week, but the mask issue did not prove to be a disruption at all. Brian Burke, Executive Director of Communication for the Board of Ed., stated, “There have been no mask issues with students or parents today.”

Mr. Burke also pointed out that parents and any other interested residents can review the Board of Education’s policies regarding the steps being taken to address the COVID pandemic by clicking on the following link: BPS Innovate and Elevate Continuation Plan., which addresses the use of masks, quarantines, and mitigation strategies that will be implemented during the school year.

In her welcome back letter Dr. Carbone also announced that Bristol had hired over sixty teachers and support staff to begin the 2021-2022 school year.