92 LM staff members, mostly at the secondary level, will receive the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday, March 21. Because many Pine Road teachers reported some side effects after the round of vaccinations on Tuesday, Murray Avenue and the High School will be asynchronous on Monday to allow recently vaccinated teachers to recover from potential side effects.

Students expressed both delight and dismay about their return to school being delayed for another day, from March 22 to March 23. Many were disappointed to wait another day to meet their friends for the first time in over a year, while others were happy to have an extra day to sleep in.

After LMTSD’s second round of vaccinations through Governor Wolf’s teacher vaccination program, all LM staff that wanted a vaccine received one, though the vaccine will require a few weeks to provide full protection. 

“I appreciate the district, Montgomery County, and Governor Wolf’s efforts to ensure that school staff is vaccinated,” said Mr. Engleman, the Library and Media Specialist. He continued, “[vaccinations] will help all our teachers feel more comfortable returning to school.”

Unrelatedly, on March 19, the CDC updated its school reopening guidance to recommend that students are spaced at least three feet apart, rather than six. The CDC still recommends that adults stay six feet away from other adults and from students, and that six feet be maintained when students are not masked. The new guidance matches the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, both of which have recommended about three feet of distancing since last year.

Some teachers and Lower Moreland families were concerned about the district’s 4.5 day in-person learning plan because it does not maintain six feet of distancing, but the district plans to maintain at least three feet of distancing in all locations, which aligns with the new CDC recommendations for distancing between students.