Update: School Calendar, Travel Order, Summer School & Pandemic Planning
Dear Gill Montague Families & Staff,
I am writing with an update on our planning process for the start of a new school year and to share some important information from Governor Baker.
School Year Calendar Changes:
Many of you may be aware that the School Committee voted to make changes to the School-Year Calendar, in order to accommodate the need for extensive staff training and preparation. Below are the changes to the dates for the opening days of the school year and a link to the updated School Year Calendar:
-New Teacher Orientation August 24th
-All staff will begin the school year on Tuesday August 25th
-Grades 1-12 are scheduled to resume student learning on Monday September 14th
-PreK and Kindergarten begin learning on Monday September 21th
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wgtu34LnY0-T2yt2XIg73FkMboTYl5IY/view
Governor’s Travel Order: Governor Baker has put the Travel Order below in place as of August 1st. I am urging all staff and student families to read it carefully. It is brief and clear and will certainly help us all do our part to reduce the risk of transmission in our schools and community.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order#lower-risk-states-
Summer School at Sheffield:
We are fortunate to have secured a grant that allowed us to hold a summer program, completely funded by a state grant, for students who met specific criteria that was given to districts by the Department of Education. Those students were identified and families of students eligible to be served by the grant, were contacted individually with invitations.
Update on Our Pandemic Return-to-School Planning:
Our planning process continues to be guided by a vigilant monitoring of public health data in Massachusetts, and we are encouraged that indicators about the virus continue to move in the right direction. The Commonwealth’s careful and disciplined approach has enabled our state gradually to begin reopening, in part because of strong compliance with health and safety precautions. The question now on all of our minds is how and when we apply those lessons learned to begin safely reopening our public schools.
As you have heard, the Massachusetts Department of Education has directed districts to submit by July 31, 2020, a preliminary plan that addresses the feasibility of three options for serving students at the start of the school year. Those options include a full return to daily, in-person attendance, a hybrid plan combining in-school learning with some remote learning, and finally, a 100% remote learning program. Our district’s final plan, approved by the School Committee on August 11th, is due to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by August 12th. Given the significant changes these plans will require in the way schools operate, we also must negotiate our proposal with all employee unions. We are on a very tight timeline and all members of the administrative team and labor leadership are working hard to complete each school’s plan.
Of course, we know that under normal circumstances, students would be best served in schools every day, interacting with their peers and engaged in live classroom learning. While our educators and families worked incredibly hard last spring to implement remote learning, we know that approach presented enormous challenges, did not reach all students (particularly those with the greatest needs), and is not an adequate substitute for in-person interaction with teachers. When out of school, our students also lack access to all of the academic, mental, and physical supports that help ensure their social-emotional well-being, particularly in navigating the effects of trauma during these tremendously challenging times. Therefore, we believe our families and students deserve more than a fully remote learning plan.
In order to adhere to the school re-opening guidance provided by DESE, consistent with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Pediatric Association, we also do not believe we can safely meet physical distancing requirements with all students and staff in the buildings at the same time. However, we do believe we can make significant changes in our school schedules and operating procedures to make a partial return to in-person learning both safe and successful. This approach will require strategies to ensure physical distancing, as well as a series of other critical health and safety measures, including wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently, cleaning and sanitizing facilities, screening regularly for symptoms of illness, and staying home from school when sick, among others. Our planning process includes a comprehensive set of strategies and investments to minimize the risk of transmitting the virus.
As a result, we will pursue negotiations with all impacted unions for a hybrid learning plan, which would bring the students back into school buildings for in-person instruction in smaller, socially distanced groups on a rotating basis, combined with a robust remote learning program on the days students are not scheduled to be physically in school. This plan also enables us to consider bringing a subset of students in greatest need of in-person instruction and support, particularly students with disabilities, back to school more frequently – but also in smaller, distanced settings with all other precautions in place.
We recognize that the circumstances of every family and staff member are different, and that no plan ultimately will satisfy everyone in our community. But rest assured that we are working diligently to explore every option available to us, that we remain guided by the science to keep our students and staff safe and healthy, and that we will be prepared to make adjustments along the way if the public health conditions or other variables change over time.
As we move closer to a final plan, we welcome input and feedback from all of our stakeholders. We invite you to share your questions, comments, and ideas to help inform and strengthen our plans. Two more brief surveys on transportation and return-to-school preferences are being prepared for release in the very near future.
We will keep you informed about our progress in developing a final plan and in our negotiations with the unions. We will continue to post updates on our website and social media. I am confident that we can prioritize both safety and learning as we prepare for the start of a successful school year. Thank you for your patience and cooperation in these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Brian Beck
Superintendent of Schools