BOSTON – Officials are seeking to have all elementary-age students in the commonwealth return to in-person learning by April.

The announcement was made in a press conference on Feb. 23 by Gov. Charlie Baker, Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Jeff Riley and Secretary of Education James Peyser. Baker made the initial announcement prior to letting Riley give details.

He said that since the pandemic began last year, “teachers, staff and students experienced an incredible disruption to their daily routines in school and ever since have been adapting and adjusting to the challenges that came with the pandemic.”

Baker said while districts across the commonwealth had “worked hard to create learning experiences for their students,” he felt that everyone would agree that there “was no substitute for in-person learning.” This, he said, was especially true for elementary-age children.

To begin such a process of returning to in-person learning for those students, Baker explained that on Feb. 23 Riley had begun the process of “phasing out remote-only learning in April.”

“Commissioner discussed the process, which will start with elementary students, with the board this morning, and we hope to be moving ahead soon,” Baker said. He emphasized that while the coronavirus pandemic had been “difficult on everyone” it had been especially difficult for students and their parents, who had been “out of the classroom and detached from their peers.”

Baker said about 80 percent of districts across the commonwealth had increased the amount of in-person learning in the classroom, whether it be through a hybrid learning model or fully in-person model. He said these districts had proven that it was safe for children to return to the classroom.

“Districts with in-person learning, regardless of how high COVID transmission is in their community, have seen few, if any, examples of transmission. With the proper mitigation strategies in place, developed by our administration with leading medical professionals, schools across the commonwealth have been able to safely bring kids back to the classroom for many months now,” he said. Baker said about 20 percent, or around 400,000 kids, in the commonwealth, however, were still learning completely remotely.

Riley said it was “vital” to help as many students as possible return to the classroom before the academic year ended. He added that prior to the press conference he had informed the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that he was asking them to vote “to amend student learning time regulations to give me the authority to determine when the hybrid and remote model no longer count for learning hours.”

He said should the board grant him such authority he would, “take a phased in approach to returning students to the classroom” while working closely with state health officials and medical experts. “My focus would be on bringing back elementary students first with the plan likely extending to middle school grades later in the school year and possibly high schools as well,” Riley said.

His goal, Riley explained, was to bring all elementary students back to in-person learning “five days a week in April.” He added that parents would still have the option for their children to remain remote through the end of the year should they choose and there would be a “waiver process” for districts that would need to take “a more incremental approach.”

“For example, move to a hybrid model if they are currently fully remote,” he said.

Riley said beginning to offer full in-person learning again by starting with elementary students was “common sense as there is widespread agreement in the medical community they are less likely to contract the virus and to transmit [COVID-19].” He said, “Elementary students are also easier to cohort and from an education perspective, these are some of the students that are struggling the most developmentally with remote learning. It’s very hard, for example, for a first grader to learn how to read remotely.”

While Peyser agreed that getting students back was important, he said the move was about “more than just about COVID.” Peyser said, “It’s also about educational progress, mental health, social emotional development and equity.”

“Our children, especially those in traditionally underserved and high need communities are suffering the most, creating real learning and developmental losses and exacerbating achievement opportunity gaps,” he said.

When asked about vaccines for teachers, Riley said, “We know teachers have been prioritized and I believe they’re next up in line after the 65-year-olds and people with two comorbidities.” He added that while they wanted to equip educators with all the tools possible to keep them safe such as masks, “vaccinations were not required to go back to school.”

AGAWAM

Agawam Mayor William Sapelli weighed in on the state’s intention to move elementary students out of remote/hybrid learning and into classrooms five days a week by April during the West of the River Chamber of Commerce's (WRC) Mayoral Luncheon at Storrowton Tavern.

“I think we’re going to get back into schools,” said Sapelli. “I think the governor and the commissioner of education is really pushing – they don’t want to wait until September. We’ve lost a year already.”

He added that face-to-face learning is integral to the success of students, especially those elementary school students who are still developing their capabilities. “The high school students can do a lot of the remote, and it works for them,” said Sapelli. “But for the 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-year-olds, they need that face time. And we’re getting there.”

Sapelli said that Agawam is moving in a positive direction with regard to schools, and added that spacing and other methods, such as plexiglass in between desks, will be utilized to maintain social distancing guidelines.

Agawam is currently under the hybrid model of learning, where Group A students participate in in-person learning on Mondays and Tuesdays, while Group B participates in in-person learning on Thursdays and Fridays. Most recently, Kindergarten through first graders are completely in-person four days a week, and grades nine through 12 are going in four days a week.

The one problem the town has, according to Sapelli, is grades 2-8 cannot fully participate in in-person learning because the square footage within the schools do not allow for proper distancing, which according to the CDC guidelines, still must be six feet.

“I know the state is working on that, and looking to get everyone back in April,” said Sapelli. “To do that, they’re going to have to change the restrictions on the six-foot distancing.”

GATEWAY REGIONAL

Gateway Regional Superintendent David B. Hopson responded on Feb. 25 to a request to comment on the commissioner’s announcement.

“I did reach out to staff as a follow up to news reports of the commissioner’s draft plan for reopening, letting them know that it was likely that the DESE would no longer allow hybrid or fully remote learning to count towards the required days/hours of time on learning. I indicated we had a lot of work to accomplish in order to plan to bring students back to school on an ‘in-person’ basis five days a week and that I was looking for suggestions as to how we could best accomplish this. I realize that many will remain worried about returning students to school on a daily basis using 3 foot social distancing and pretty much irrespective of COVID levels in the community but I don’t believe we’ll have much choice in the matter,” Hopson wrote.

After hearing back from teachers, Hopson said they had mixed reactions to the announcement. “Some of them continue to be concerned with having so many students back and at a 3[-foot] social distance while others have been advocating for bringing more students back due to various student needs,” Hopson wrote, adding, “There is certainly much to do to prepare for this eventuality, but my guess is that the Commissioner is confident that the board will support this plan. I imagine we’ll learn much more as he rolls out his plan in more detail.”

SPRINGFIELD

Springfield Superintendent Daniel Warwick has announced  the city’s  School Committee is considering an in-person education plan that would begin on April 5, with students in grades pre-k through five; the district’s highest need Special Education students; students with limited or interrupted formal education; and vocational students in grades 10 through 12.

Warwick said the proposed plan is contingent upon successful negotiations with the district’s unions and that the inclusion of elementary school students by the April 5  date is a direct response to the announcement by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) earlier this week.

The department announced that it is seeking to mandate the return of all elementary students to in-person learning five days per week beginning in April. However, the Springfield Public Schools plan proposes a hybrid return model, which would include a mix of in-person and remote learning for students in a single week.

Warwick said the district plans to seek a waiver to allow the hybrid return rather than full-week return based on the city’s current COVID-19 status, which is red. He added that under DESE’s proposed mandate, families still retain the right to choose remote education for the remainder of the year.

Warwick added that the district had already been preparing for a hybrid return this spring, but the DESE announcement required adjusting the timing of elementary school students. However, Warwick added that health and safety aspects of the district’s plan were fully complete and remain intact. Ventilation upgrades have been made in every school building, classroom by classroom, Warwick said. And the district is fully stocked with personal protection equipment.

“We have been working very hard ever since the pandemic first hit to put measures in place to help ensure a safe return and we are ready to go in that regard,” Warwick said, adding that the district has spent millions of dollars on COVID-related upgrades, equipment, and supplies. “Mayor Sarno and the School Committee made it very clear from the start, that health and safety of students and staff is the highest priority and, at every turn, they made the funding available to support that.”

Warwick said schools are in the process of reaching out directly to families and providing detailed information about health and safety measures and the protocols, routines and practices of in-person learning.

SOUTH HADLEY

South Hadley interim Superintendent Diana Bonneville said while the district would like to have this happen, there were “many factors to consider” before students could return to full in-person learning.

“Our School Committee is following CDC’s guidelines of 6 feet of social distancing instead of DESE’s three-to-six-feet recommendation, which would not allow us to bring back all students at once. The CDC’s social distancing guidelines would have to be revised in order for this to occur,” she said.

Another concern, Bonneville stated, was staffing and long term substitute teachers. “Certain individuals will not return to the buildings without being fully vaccinated, which poses staffing challenges,” she said.

Bonneville added that many families were choosing to keep their children remote through the end of the year, which would present challenges for teachers. “Since many families have chosen to stay remote for the school year, teachers will still need to utilize technology in order to reach all students, which is what our half day Wednesdays have supported. Lastly, we examine health metrics weekly to monitor trends and case counts, which also is a contributing factor to which learning model we follow,” she said. “Many challenges would need to be addressed with various stakeholders before elementary aged students can return for in-person learning five days a week.”

SOUTHWICK-TOLLAND-GRANVILLE

Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District Superintendent Jennifer Willard said that while students in Pre-K-4 were already fully in-person but if the new goal is passed, she said they will work to bring in fifth and sixth grade students every day.

“We’re going to be looking at bringing back our fifth and sixth grade students back full time. We are simply awaiting guidance from DESE to see what the specifics are for bringing them back and then we will put a plan in place accordingly,” she said.

Since the planning process for the 2020-2021 school year began, Willard said in-person learning for elementary students has been a priority.

“We have prioritized in-person learning from [grades] Pre-K-4 this year so I truly believe in in-person learning and anything we can do to support our students during COVID-19 I am willing to work on and see if we can accomplish here,” she said.

Because of new transportation guidelines, Willard said it is easier to bring more students into school every day.

“They did just release the new transportation guidelines in February and none of this would have been possible if they did not update them. Now we can accommodate more students on bussing so we can bring in more students each day,” she said.

One of the reasons students in elementary school have already been fully in-person is because of recent renovations to the buildings, including new HVAC systems.

“We were very lucky that our towns did do recent renovations on the three schools. Having updated HVAC systems and air quality measures was super helpful in getting our schools reopened,” she said.

Willard said the district already has a tentative plan in place but will go into further details once the new guidance is available.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Mayor William Reichelt also provided insight during the WRC Mayoral Luncheon on how the state should prepare itself for full in-person learning by April.

He said that he would support this move by the state, but only if teachers were able to receive their vaccinations prior to the reopening.

“All of us have been reaching out to the governor’s office to say, ‘just give us the doses and we can get it done ourselves,’” said Reichelt. “If we’re able to get [the teachers] those doses, then we won’t hear the complaints about going back.”

Reichelt said that the city is still conductiong testing so they can have the ability to keep their schools open for as long as possible.

The school district returned to a full hybrid model the week before February vacation.

The mayor added that, if teachers were to be vaccinated, then the CDC could change their guidelines to make it so students and faculty can keep at least three feet of distance instead of six.

“At 3 feet, we can bring everyone fully back,” said Reichelt. “If we can vaccinate [teachers], I think they’ll be comfortable coming back to a full return. That’s the biggest priority right now.”

WESTFIELD

Stefan Czaporowski, Westfield Public Schools superintendent, said he wished the commissioner had given himself and other superintendents notice before making the announcement.

“My first reaction was that I wish the commissioner had given superintendents a heads up before the announcement came out. I think communication is important and I think it would have been appropriate to let us know this was coming before it hit the media,” he said.

One of the biggest conflicts Czaporowski said he was facing was the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendation of 6 feet to social distance versus DESE’s 3 feet.

“The big conflict that I think our teachers, staff and even us are having is the CDC is saying 6 feet of physical distance is optimal and DESE is saying 3 feet. Just because DESE is saying 3 feet does that mean we do that and bypass the CDC? I think it’s a fair question,” he said.

He added that one of the elementary schools already uses the 3-foot guideline and would not be able to bring all the students back for in-person learning.

“One of our elementary schools is already at 3 feet, so they can’t fit anymore students. Our older buildings have smaller classrooms,” he said.

Along with the distancing guidelines, Czaporowski said it would be difficult for a full return to in-person learning because of the district’s lunch schedule.

“You can only fit so many kids in the cafeteria and the solution that was offered to us was to let the students eat in the classrooms. Our teachers are guaranteed a duty-free lunch period so the question becomes who is watching the students, and we don’t have the staff to cover that,” he said.

Czaporowski also said the plan gives the district little time to negotiate with the Westfield Education Association.

“We have to negotiate with our union, and this is the part that frustrates me a bit because it doesn’t give us very much time, and the commissioner, who is a former superintendent, should realize that and the complications that come with it,” he said.

One of the ways Czaporowsi said this new goal is unfair is because some districts only have to focus on going hybrid now.

“It feels a little unfair to be honest, if we had been remote all year we would be working toward hybrid now, but now we have to be working toward working all of our elementary students in,” he said.

Despite lower transmission rates in students, Czaporowski said the district also must take care of its teachers that are at risk for COVID-19.

Czaporowski said he thought it was ridiculous to be making this push before most teachers have any idea when they will be vaccinated.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that this has been brought up when the teachers haven’t even had the option to be vaccinated. The fact that this has been put out there before they even know anything as to when they can get vaccinated just doesn’t seem well thought out,” he said.

Reminder Publishing reached out to the Granby and Holyoke Teachers Association as well as the superintendents for the Agawam, Easthampton, Holyoke, Granby, West Springfield public school districts, but did not receive responses as of press time.