BOSTON/WESTERN MASS. – While the actual manner in which classes will be conducted remains undecided in many ways, guidance from the state indicates that a return to the classroom in the fall is the goal for Massachusetts educators.

Shedding light on questions that had been asked since schools were initially closed in March and for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year a month later in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey Riley released the Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance on June 25, a blueprint local school officials must follow to develop its strategies for learning to continue in the fall.

In his letter to districts that preceded the lengthy memo, he said, “After weeks of discussion with many stakeholders, including our members of our Return-to-School Working Group, infectious disease physicians, pediatricians, and other public health experts; a thorough review of the medical literature; and evaluating what works best for our students, we want to start the school year with as many of our students as possible returning to in-person settings – safely. If the current positive public health metrics hold, we believe that when we follow critical health requirements, we can safely return to in-person school this fall with plans in place to protect all members of our educational community.”

Further, DESE stated in the guidance, “Our goal for the fall is to safely bring back as many students as possible to in-person school settings, to maximize learning and address our students’ holistic needs” and later, “In creating their plans, districts and schools should first prioritize developing an in-person learning model with new safety requirements.”

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has instructed districts to develop three plans – one for in-person learning, one for a hybrid learning model and one for remote learning exclusively. In creating three strategies, schools would be able to pivot in the event of changing circumstances related to COVID-19. Districts are expected to submit all three plans to the state and make them available to the public by August.

In a press conference, Gov. Charlie Baker said the difficulty in developing this guidance was projecting the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Massachusetts months from now.

“This guidance assumes that health data continues to stabilize and the requirements are still subject to revision,” he said.

In-person learning would, indeed, look different for many students and educators under the current set of guidelines. Adults and students in grades 2 and up will be required to wear face coverings, with exceptions for those with medical conditions, disabilities or other health concerns. Children in kindergarten and first grade are encouraged to wear masks but are not required. Families would be required to provide their own masks and wash reusable masks daily, but schools must also make disposable masks available to those who need them. Schools are advised to factor mask break times into the school day, with students distanced at least six feet apart, preferably outdoors or with windows open.

DESE did not set any requirements on classroom capacity, instead allowing districts to determine class sizes based on physical distancing. While six feet is preferable, DESE indicated a minimum of approximately three feet of distance between students’ desks, coupled with other safety precautions such as masks and handwashing and sanitizing, “balances the lower risk of COVID-19 transmission and the overarching benefits of in-person school.” All desks must be facing the same direction.

DESE also advised that, whenever possible, students should be in cohorts that remain together throughout the day and avoid contact with other groups of students. At the elementary level, this means remaining in the classroom as much as possible; in middle and high schools, students should remain with their cohort throughout the day as long as it is feasible.

Districts are encouraged to utilize large spaces such as cafeterias and gymnasiums and leverage “community partners” such as libraries and community centers to increase capacity while encouraging distancing.

Schools will not screen students for symptoms upon entry, rather relying on family and caregivers to monitor children for symptoms. However, schools will be required to provide a COVID-19 isolation space for students displaying COVID-19 symptoms until they are picked up by a family member.

Hybrid learning models, per DESE recommendations, would follow an A/B cohort model with the different groups attending in-person classes at different times. However, the frequency of in-person cohort instruction may vary from half-day models to alternating weeks. The cohort not participating in in-person learning would engage in remote learning. Districts are encouraged to utilize full-time in-person learning for high-needs students.

Schools and districts are expected to name a COVID-19 response leader and establish planning and implementation teams for teaching and learning, student supports, special education and English learners, personnel and staffing, facilities and operation and transportation, as well as other topics that might be appropriate.

Districts will develop plans for intensive communication with stakeholders including educators, parents and caregivers, and the public. A family survey will also be created to facilitate reopening planning and scheduling. Learning specialists, instructional coaches, reading specialists and other educators may be transitioned to roles as core teachers to manage class size, provided they have appropriate licenses.

DESE indicated it would release more in-depth guidance on factors including remote learning resources, processes for handling positive COVID-19 cases in schools, transportation and athletics and extracurriculars, among others.

Local Reaction

East Longmeadow’s Superintendent Gordon Smith told Reminder Publishing that the process to develop the plans will take time.

“We know that the guidance will be revised as more information is gained through the summer, and we will adjust our plans accordingly,” Smith said, noting, “It will be a busy summer.”

Smith plans to continue open communication with families, and seek feedback.

Longmeadow Superintendent Martin O’Shea released the following statement:

“Today, Governor Baker’s office and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released 'Initial Fall Reopening Guidance.'  The guidance relies on current medical research to carefully and thoughtfully prioritize the safe return of students to in-person school settings in order to best meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students.  The full document is posted to the LPS website.

"In the days and weeks ahead, the administrative team will review the document and develop local reopening plans in accordance with this guidance and in collaboration with all Longmeadow stakeholders.  The initial guidance does not address every topic or answer every question, but it does provide very specific direction to local school districts.  We anticipate that there will be additional guidance coming throughout the summer.

"Under the guidance students, staff and educators in Massachusetts will be able to return to school provided a variety of prevention strategies are developed and maintained.  Briefly summarized, these include:
• The use of masks/face coverings (Required for all adults and for students in Grades 2 and above; recommended for students in Grade 1 and below)
•Hand hygiene requirements
•Physical distancing requirements
•Sanitization requirements

"To be clear, based upon the current medical situation, the expectation today is that students will return to full in-person instruction based on the requirements and mitigation strategies fully articulated in the guidance. Please understand that this subject to change based upon how the medical situation develops. As such, districts are required to develop three separate plans - one for return to full in-person instruction with safety requirements, one for full remote learning, and one for a hybrid learning arrangement that combines in-person and remote learning.

"We acknowledge that there are still likely to be more questions than answers at this time.  As more guidance is received and as our local plans develop we will provide regular updates.  I encourage you to read the full document at longmeadow.k12.ma.us. and send your questions or feedback to me, any member of the administrative team or to the Reopening Advisory Task Force via reopening@longmeadow.k12.ma.us.

"Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue the intensive planning needed to safely reopen our schools."

Agawam Public Schools has established a taskforce to complete plans for the three schooling models.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback” said Interim Superintendent Sheila Hoffman. “We’ve started to have conversations, we’ve had a lot of questions that we’re trying to address."

Hoffman said the first step will be to create an in-person plan and “test it out to see what will work and what won’t,” before students return.

The school department is working with the health department and facilities management to make sure that bringing students back in will be safe and efficient with the new safety guidelines.

In neighboring West Springfield, plans are also underway.

“Much of what’s in [the report] we have already started planning for,” said West Springfield Superintendent Tim Connor in a video address posted to social media. The plans that have already been made will be modified to fit the guidelines from DESE.

Conner outlined two paths in his address. The first path looks to bring as many students as possible physically back into the schools.

For those families who have reservations, students would be allowed to engage with remote learning for the first semester. For now, he said, this option will only be available for the first semester.

West Springfield Public Schools will continue developing a fully fleshed-out plan for each scenario to submit to DESE and Connor said he will continue to share updates with the community as they develop.

In Springfield, the third largest district in the state, Superintendent Daniel Warwick announced the district would prepare three plans – “one for return to full in-person instruction with safety requirements, one for full remote learning, and one for hybrid learning that combines in-person and remote learning.”

Warwick said, “Our primary concern is the safe return of students and staff for teaching and learning,” said “We fully understand that there are still more questions than answers, but we are working with guidance now that will help us move forward.”

He pointed out some key points included in the DESE guidance today:

• Current medical research supports a safe in-person return to school – with preventive measures in place – as infection and transmission rates are lower for children than adults.
• Preventive measures include masks/face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces
• Masks/face coverings will be required for all students in Grade 2 and above and for all adults; they are recommended for students in Grade 1 and below
• Based upon current medical research, and in conjunction with other preventive measures, a minimum physical distance of three feet has been established

Dr. Stephen Zrike, the out-going superintendent of Holyoke School, wrote the district’s parent, “ Our goal for the 2020-21 School Year remains to continue to provide engaging, high-quality education for all and we share DESE’s goal of the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings in order to best meet students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. There are many considerations that we are focused on, including but not limited to, class schedules, remote and in-class instruction, transportation, extracurricular activities, social-distancing, and the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.”

Lyn Clark, Chicopee’s superintendent wrote in a letter to parents, “Over the coming days/ weeks, our administrative team will be reviewing the guidance to begin to understand what we can do in Chicopee. DESE acknowledges that these initial guidelines do not address every topic and that there will be additional guidance coming. The key components:

• Based upon the current medical situation, the expectation today is that students will return to full in-person instruction in September; however, that is subject to change based upon how the medical situation develops.
• Current medical research supports a safe in-person return to school – with preventive measures in place – as infection and transmission rates are lower for children than adults.
• Preventive measures include masks/face coverings, physical distancing, hand washing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces
• Masks/face coverings will be required for all students in Grade 2 and above and for all adults
• Based upon current medical research, and in conjunction with other preventive measures, a minimum physical distance of three feet has been established.

In response to the release of the guidance, Westfield Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski issued a statement to the public indicating that, based on current medical data, Westfield Public Schools anticipated opening for in-person learning on Aug. 31.

“We applaud the level of thought and care that went into the development of this guidance, and share its goal of the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings to best meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students,” he said. He continued, “Over the next few weeks, our leadership team and ‘Back to School’ committees will be reviewing the guidance to begin to understand how it impacts what we can do in Westfield.”

The district established an email address, 2020reopen@schoolsofwestfield.com, through which the public can ask questions and submit feedback.

"I know that there are more questions than answers at this time. We are working through these issues in unprecedented times requiring a great deal of time and planning. It will require patience and understanding among all of us. Know that we will continue to communicate with you in the coming weeks and months,” Czaporowski said.

Gateway Regional School District Superintendent David Hopson also issued a written response, but did not offer specifics regarding their approach.

“We've just been given permission to share the DESE guidance that was to be released by the Governor later this morning (superintendents received this late last night),” he said. “It requires a significant amount of work and district administrators will be collaborating closely with staff to develop the required three plans modified for Gateway's unique situation. There will be more to come as we begin to initiate a planning process.”

Feedback to reopening can be sent to the district via email at myopinion@grsd.org.

In a letter to familes and staff, Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District Superintendent Jennifer Willard said, “Over the coming days, we will be reviewing the guidance to begin to understand how it impacts what we can do in the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District. We also acknowledge that these initial guidelines do not address every topic and that there will be additional guidance coming throughout the summer.”

In order to garner community input, the district created a survey, which can be accessed via a link on its website, www.stgrsd.org. Survey responses will be accepted through July 3.

“We acknowledge that there are likely to be more questions than answers at this time, and we will continue to communicate with you in the coming weeks and months,” she wrote.

Easthampton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Allison LeClair did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On June 22, the district released a Staff and Parent Survey on its website, https://epsd.us/, allowing the public to provide input on the schools’ reopening plan. In her accompanying message, LeClair indicated the district would seek more public comment once a plan is developed.

During her weekly virtual Town Hall meeting on June 25, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said she was not in favor of reopening schools in the fall.

“As a mayor and as somebody who was on the reopening committee, I believe that schools shouldn’t be back in session in the fall,” she said. “It’s a tremendous waste of money and we should support families where they are, to stay home and get them the supports for home or very small community-based lessons. We’re just going to go back to putting that crushing burden back on the working poor and lower-middle class and in schools, it’s just too much of a risk. Why reopen during a time when we expect a second wave when we’re not done with the first wave?”

She added, “There’s not a line here to run across and win this race; it’s always flattening the curve. That’s not my decision because I can’t make that decision alone, but I’m not understanding why we’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to get kids back into a building that will not meet any specific curricular datapoints and whatnot when we can’t get them all computers.

On the related issue of after-school care and programming, LaChapelle said the city is looking for creative solutions to ease the burden on working families.

“I think the solution for Easthampton – honestly, we qualify less and less for grants for after-school programming – is that we need to bring in a community partner, just like we are doing with rent relief,”?she said. “We need to get an expert who will work with the city to provide services in the city for residents.”

After the guidance was announced by the governor, Reminder Publishing reached out to LaChapelle to ask if the information allayed any of her concerns, to which she responded it did not.

“It feels like we are surging forward in education in the face of a second wave surge,” she said. “I have real questions about who this serving best. The fallout of this is going to have the greatest effects locally and ultimately will fall on local school administration and local leadership.”

LaChapelle said she was not convinced medical data used to develop the guidance and promote the reopening of schools is adequate.

“I also have serious concerns about the health metrics that are being used as part of this equation. When we were flattening the curve, we eliminated the metrics in terms of schools because we dismissed them for the year, so what does that look like if schools are reopened? What metrics are being looked at and considered are very concerning to me.”

Further, LaChapelle expressed concern regarding the strain on resources and personnel when reopening in the midst of a pandemic.

“We are already stretching educational resources as it is,”?she said. “Our educational professionals and administrators are essentially working quadruple duty. They are doing four times the work all with the same amount of folks and those folks are dealing with the same concerns as everyone else at home.”

Hampshire Regional School District Superintendent Aaron Osborne did not immediately respond to an inquiry. On the HRSD Superintendent’s Facebook group, Osborne posted a link to the guidance, stating, “Please be patient as we digest the information and process it; there will absolutely be opportunities for community involvement as we move forward.”

Reminder Publishing reached out to Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District Superintendent Albert Ganem, but did not hear back by press time.