Going back to school this fall means striking a balance between ensuring students — and staff — are safe while they maintain a meaningful educational experience.
And while Massachusetts is currently not the COVID-19 hotspot it was this spring, that could change dramatically if there is a surge.
Fortunately, school officials have had months to plan. They will be better prepared than when the governor suddenly closed public schools statewide this spring and learning was strictly remote. For many educators this was an unfamiliar mode of teaching, and they have had the summer to develop new teaching skills.
In preparation, school districts were expected to submit three reopening plans to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Schools: fully remote learning, in-person education and a hybrid of the two. They also had to select which option they favor.
Here’s a sampling.
Greenfield schools will begin the year with a remote/remote-plus model. Students would spend most of their time learning remotely but have the option for in-person weekly tutoring. Special needs students would get more intensive remote and in-person services.
Pioneer Valley Regional School District will start with three weeks remote-only before a possible phased reopening.
Frontier Regional and Union 38 school districts will have a hybrid learning model. Students will be divided into A and B groups that will alternate between in-person and remote education. Group A would come into the building for Mondays and Tuesdays and learn remotely the other days. The plan would be similar for Group B, who would be physically in the building Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays the buildings would be cleaned.
For two local private schools that have dormitories, Deerfield Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon, students will be back, so these institutions have planned weekly tests and other precautions such as being quarantined for two weeks after their arrival on campus.
But public schools don’t have that luxury or financial resources.
We ponder the challenges ahead.
Kids will be kids, and we can only imagine how difficult it will be keeping those who come to school in line with COVID-19 safety measures such as properly wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart and washing their hands. How will these precautions be controlled on school buses?
Then, there is the issue of whether students and their families are following such guidelines outside school. (Contrary to the president’s statement that children are “almost immune,” they can carry the virus and get sick from it.) The same goes for staff at all levels.
Of course, there are parents who are fearful about sending their children to school this fall and will seek alternatives. That is their choice.
Remote learning has its own challenges.
Many parents and guardians are working from home remotely, but then there are those who can’t. We envision students being left at home without supervision out of necessity, at least for part of the day. The term latch-key children will take on a whole new meaning with the pandemic.
Other issues are families owning sufficient computers and devices at home so students can do online learning. For those with more than one child, that will require more than one device.
Also keep in mind that in some of our towns families have difficulty accessing high-speed internet.
Our concern too is for students with special needs and those who have them but have not yet been diagnosed.
Finally, it is a sad but not uncommon situation that not all parents are engaged in their children’s education. This certainly puts these students at a disadvantage.
The one thing we can be certain about is there is so much uncertainty surrounding this issue.
We offer our sympathy for families and our school districts during this extraordinarily difficult time to make the right decisions for students.