GREENFIELD — With school closures through May 4 prompted by the spread of COVID-19, school districts have had to find alternative ways to educate their students, including the Greenfield School Department, which has implemented a remote curriculum for students.
School Committee Chair Amy Proietti spoke about the remote curriculum at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, noting that the process for establishing it went “as smooth as can be possible.”
“I think when we come out of this, not only will we have an amazing resource in a remote learning plan, but also we will have learned a lot about what works for students in a 21st-century environment, what works for teachers in a 21st-century environment, and I think this will really expand the tools that we have available as educators,” she said.
It took seven multiple-hour sessions over 10 days to finalize the remote curriculum, she said, which involved conversations with the School Committee, the union and other city departments.
“The issue with the union and the remote learning plan is two-fold,” she said. “We can’t put something in the remote learning plan without the education association — the union — agreeing it would be part of the teachers’ and the educators’ responsibilities.”
Proietti said Superintendent Jordana Harper spent the weeks leading up to March 26, when the curriculum was implemented, trying to manage the process of identifying how to engage students.
A large part of the rollout of the curriculum was getting technology to students who needed it. Proietti said about 485 Chromebooks, already owned by the schools, were handed out by teachers on April 9 and 10. She also noted the agreement between the Greenfield School Department and GCET to provide internet service free of charge to eligible families for the remainder of the school year.
Although she has not heard from parents or students since the rollout, she did acknowledge emails from parents prior to it that expressed concern for why Greenfield was behind other districts in implementing a remote learning plan.
“I don’t know how you measure … how long it should take to do something totally unprecedented,” she said.
She added later in the meeting that she is proud of the fact Greenfield didn’t follow the lead of other districts.
“Many other school districts ran right out of the gate and put remote learning in place the week that schools closed, and have (had) to do a whole one step forward, two steps back, based on guidance from the state,” she said.
Greenfield, however, waited until March 26, after it received guidance from the state to do remote learning until May 4.
Precinct 6 City Councilor Sheila Gilmour asked if there is any indication students will be returning to school after May 4.
“We don’t know yet,” Proietti said. “We really are proceeding at every step with caution. … I anticipate that that will be evaluated very closely within the next few weeks.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263.