District, union agree full-time return to school ill-conceived

July 28, 2020 | Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.com

EASTHAMPTON – While details on how education will continue for the 2020-21 school year remain unclear, Easthampton Public Schools and the Easthampton Education Association (EEA) agree on one important topic: full-time in-person learning just won’t work.

Superintendent Allison LeClair indicated last week during a series of public forums with parents that the option of returning to the classroom for daily instruction was “not viable.” Nellie Taylor Donahue, president of the EEA, the union representing teachers, professional staff and education support professionals, echoed the sentiments in a later conversation with Reminder Publishing.

Furthermore, Donahue said, the EEA, as part of a statewide effort by the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), is pressing DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to make changes to reopening guidance and state mandates, including eliminating the requirement for districts to develop in-person learning plans and tying all building reopening guidelines to COVID-19 benchmarks. Additionally, the EEA sought a reduction of the 180-day instructional calendar and a requirement for health and safety assessments of all school buildings.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) recently released Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance requires districts to simultaneously formulate plans for full-time in-person instruction, hybrid learning and exclusively remote instruction. LeClair explained that when approaching the planning process for full-time classroom learning, officials utilized a guideline of 6 feet between student desks as opposed to DESE’s recommendation of 3 feet. This made the in-person model “unattainable,” requiring twice the classroom space and twice the staff, she said.

LeClair said while their focus is on other models, the district is still developing an in-person instructional plan under the state’s guidance. Donahue called any planning for that contingency “wasted energy.” Explaining the union’s push for the removal of that requirement and calls for health data tie-ins for reopening decisions and procedures, she added, “The push for a full return is not tied to any health or safety guidelines and until it is, there is no point in planning for that.”

The focus of district officials has shifted primarily to preparation for hybrid and virtual models. LeClair said in a recent survey, 88 percent of participating parents and guardians indicated they wanted students to return to the classroom in some fashion; 12 percent of respondents indicated they were not comfortable with returning their children to school and preferred a remote model. The EEA, however, believes there is only one solution at present – the continuation of remote learning as opposed to the pursuit of a hybrid model.

“In polling our membership, most educators believe that hybrid instruction would not be a joyful educational experience,” Donahue said. “Our educators are not in favor of returning to buildings in a hybrid model.”

Donahue said the primary concern was the inherent risks presented to staff, students and the public by returning to the classroom in any form.

“It’s all about the community,” she said. “Returning to school could dramatically shift the patterns in which the virus spreads through the community.”

A “significant number” of educators have personal health or family considerations given COVID-19’s impact on those with compromised immune systems, Donahue asserted. Additionally, Donahue said some school buildings, specifically at the elementary level, are extremely old with windows that do not open, outdated floor plans and layouts and concerns about ventilation systems. To that end, the EEA and MTA are calling on DESE to require environmental health and safety assessments for all schools.

LeClair stressed that if a hybrid learning method were adopted, there would be a remote-only option for immunocompromised students and those whose families are uncomfortable with a return to school buildings. She also noted the district was aware and sympathetic to the fact that some school employees are at higher risk and may not wish to or be able to return to classrooms. Options such as exclusive remote instruction were being considered as potential solutions for those instructors.

Donahue also said she was troubled that hybrid learning plans and specific details of how they would be implemented “had not been articulated yet” as of the afternoon of July 23. During one of LeClair’s public forum sessions, Julie Anne Levin, EPS curriculum director, said professional development for educators would commence at the beginning of August.

The EEA, however, supported an MTA proposal that calls for a phased opening in which the first two phases focus on educator training and family outreach, Donahue explained. As part of this, the union is encouraging the state to suspend its required minimum of 180 school days to allow for enhanced professional development prior to the start of instruction.

“In March when schools closed, we weren’t prepared for it and we had no time for training in how to be effective remote educators,” Donahue said. “We’re asking for the 180-day requirement to be lowered to provide districts the time to develop curricula and training.”

DESE recently approved a 10-day reduction in the school calendar and a delay in the first day of classes to Sept. 16. Schools that need more time may apply for a waiver.

In a hybrid learning scenario, students would be broken up into two cohorts that would alternate their classroom time and spend the rest of their educational experience with remote learning resources provided by the district. LeClair indicated that when polled, administration and some teachers “overwhelmingly” opined that alternating cohorts by weeks would be too challenging. Instead, the district was working on developing a model that would have both cohorts in school for a couple of days each week. Cohorts would be developed using the alphabet as a guide, so siblings with the same last name would likely attend in-person classes on the same days. LeClair added the district would work with those families whose siblings do not share surnames.

To become properly equipped for hybrid or remote learning, the district ordered enough laptop computers to bring the schools to a 1:1 device-to-student ratio, she added. EPS also received a grant via Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, more commonly referred to as the CARES Act, that would allow them to hire additional technical support staff to support virtual learning components. Additionally, the district received a grant allowing it to purchase mobile hotspots that it would offer to students.

DESE’s guidance suggests teachers would be required to conduct in-person lessons in an instruction area at the front of the classroom to maintain distance from students. With severe limitations on the way teachers can interact with pupils as an example, Donahue questioned how effective in-person instruction would be. Some of the protocols required to return to school buildings were not developmentally appropriate for students in lower grade levels, she added.

“It doesn’t make sense to have teachers in the classroom. There has to be a way to do something better through virtual instruction,” she said.

The first bargaining session between the district and the union on issues related to COVID-19 took place on July 27. “We need to make sure this is a transparent process with educator and parent feedback,” Donahue said.

A draft of the district’s plans was presented to the School Committee on July 28. A preliminary reopening plan summary is due to the state by July 31 and comprehensive plan documents are due for review and public release on Aug. 10. The School Committee would decide on which avenue to pursue for the upcoming school years sometime in mid-August, according to LeClair.

“I am not the deciding factor in this; the school committee is,” she said.

Updated information on school reopening, including the link to videos of all three public forums, will be posted on the EPS website at https://epsd.us/index.php/2020/07/20/fall-reopening-2020-2021/. For more information and updates on EEA, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/easthamptonea.

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