Hello Westfield,
I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy during these difficult times. The first week of April was packed with COVID-19 related updates relating to the crisis itself, MCAS testing, unemployment, and more. If you are looking for personal updates or assistance in these areas and haven’t reached out to my office yet please do soon.
At the beginning of this week, H.4616 An Act to Further Address Challenges Faced by Municipalities, School Districts and State Authorities Resulting from COVID-19 was read and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways & Means. I called on my colleagues to continue to act quickly on this bill as it had direct relation to the cancellation of MCAS testing for this school year.
Ever since the Governor shut down schools I have supported the cancellation of the MCAS testing because it’s what’s best for our students, teachers, and parents. This doesn’t just come from me, it comes from those populations who have reached out to my office to express their concerns about forcing MCAS through in light of the impact COVID-19 has had on our schools.
I thank my colleagues for acting swiftly and support their amended language that would lead to the cancellation of MCAS testing following the bill being signed into law. We must continue to push this legislation through and cannot afford to dawdle.
I would also like to give a quick shout out to two Westfield Groups who have been superstars during this pandemic. The Westfield Food Pantry and the Mask Makers for Westfield. I was honored to help sponsor a Grab – n – Go meal drive with the Westfield Food Pantry last Saturday as we helped supply meals for those in need and support our local small businesses.
The Mask Makers for Westfield have been sewing facemasks for emergency personnel, first responders, and more during the pandemic. Check out their page on Facebook if you are interested in helping out or donating supplies!
In other updates from throughout the week; the state has launched the COVID-19 relief fund to help those who have been directly impacted the hardest by the pandemic, a desperately needed increase in funding was announced for nursing homes and similar facilities throughout the Commonwealth, and a mobile testing site was opened at the Big E fairgrounds in West Springfield for First Responders and Emergency Management workers. Also, grocery stores have been told to limit to 40 percent of maximum capacity so if you are doing grocery shopping for a large family it is advised that you send one person.
Please continue to stay safe and stay healthy by following proper social distancing guidelines. Remember, the face mask advisory is not a substitute for social distancing. They are supposed to be done together to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about bills or any other issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out! My office can be reached at [email protected] or (413) 572-3920. I know we are all dealing with a myriad of issues at the moment and it is my obligation to be available to help you all in any way that I can.
