The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is about to issue preliminary guidance to local school districts as they plan for the return of students — or at least the return to learning — this fall. This “guidance” and how it is implemented will affect every family with school-age children throughout the state, and every citizen whose taxes go, in part, to fund local education.
As chair of the Mohawk Trail Regional District School Committee, I believe it is critical that our state legislators and regulatory bodies consider carefully the impact of their decisions and allow some flexibility for local districts to respond to the conditions in their local areas. Three areas are of most urgent import:
1. Regulators must resist the impulse to develop a one-size-fits all approach to re-entry.
Massachusetts’ school districts are widely diverse — in terms of geographic size, student demographics, student density and a multitude of other variables. They encompass communities that have been affected very differently by COVID-19, with some suffering massive rates of infection and loss of life while others have seen relatively few cases.
Re-entry plans that may make sense in Boston, Springfield, Lowell or Worcester will not necessarily best meet the needs of students in rural Western Massachusetts.
For example, very early guidance to superintendents discussed giving districts only two re-entry options (with an eye toward maintaining appropriate social distancing among students): either students in different grades could attend classes every other day, or they could attend every other week, with remote learning in between. In my district, several of our elementary schools have only one classroom per grade level and these classrooms serve only 10 to 15 students per grade. We have quite enough space in these classrooms to allow for effective social distancing with all students attending every day.
Why should these classrooms remain empty every other day or every other week because Boston classrooms are more crowded? Why not mandate minimum social distancing (and other appropriate) requirements and let superintendents determine how best to meet those requirements?
2. Regulators must match mandates with funding.
Guidelines that require districts to, for example, erect or modify infrastructure (bathroom faucets, hand-washing stations, partitions in administrative areas); add transportation routes (to accommodate changes to school schedules); purchase new equipment for cleaning and sanitizing; or hire additional staff (custodians, cafeteria workers or counselors) must be accompanied by the funding to carry out these requirements.
Most districts are already slashing budgets in anticipation of significant decreases in Chapter 70 state aid (and, for regional districts Chapter 71 transportation reimbursements). Every new mandated expense means more dollars diverted from providing fundamental education to students.
Small rural towns cannot afford to pick up the slack, especially when they are facing state revenue cuts themselves. Further, if sustained remote learning is to be part of the plan, then funding must be provided to ensure all students have access to broadband internet and appropriate devices. Many communities in my district still lack broadband access at home, leaving students and parents to use the parking lots of schools and libraries as “classrooms.” This is unacceptable.
3. Listen to educators and parents.
Classroom education is the foundation of learning. If at all possible, teachers need to teach in classrooms, safely. Parents need to be able to go to work and be assured their children are safe. Districts need guidelines that allow the flexibility to meet these goals in ways that make sense for their communities — with appropriate levels of state oversight and accountability.
At this point, no one can say for certain what COVID-19 will have in store for us in September, and any guidelines released will necessarily be based foremost on the safety of students, staff and families. However, I encourage the governor and the commissioner of education to give local school districts and local boards of health a chance for meaningful input.
Martha Thurber chairs the Mohawk Trail Regional School Committee.