By Jennifer L. Grybowski, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Hundreds of families tuned in Aug. 12 to hear the latest iteration of the Westborough Public Schools (WPS) reopening plan.
“I want to acknowledge that we are all exhausted, frustrated and oftentimes confused about what to do,” said Westborough School Committee Chair Kristen Vincent. “We hope everyone recognizes we are doing the best we can, everything we can, with the best intentions and with all the resources available to make sure this year the best one it can be in during a global pandemic.”
Superintendent Amber Bock agreed, saying the administration is coordinating staged information from state entities as well as responding to feedback from parents and staff, as well as different pertinent organizations.
“It’s a lot of moving parts,” Bock said.
Bock also acknowledged some negative feedback that had come in,and been shared on social media.
“There are intense feelings about everyone wanting the best to their children,” she said. “It is certainly painful and upsetting and very sad to feel there are families who think we tried to underrepresent them. We are sorry for that and we will try to do the best we can…it was never our intent and that doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes. We care a lot about doing good work.”
She lamented being unable at the Aug. 12 meeting to get to the granular level of detail people wanted, but noted the purpose of the presentation was to give updates on changes to the draft plan so that it could be voted on by the school committee.
She noted the plans were the result of parent and staff surveys, meetings, DESE guidelines, faculty discussions, the parent feedback and Q&A session on Aug. 3 and a Board of Health (BOH) discussion and approval at their meeting Aug. 11.
Perhaps the biggest change presented from the original presentation was there will now be a phased entry return beginning Tuesday, Sept. 15. Complex learners will attend in school that week, while the rest of the student population will be remote. Complex learners are a range of students that includes those on specific IEP or 504 plans, those with language barriers, those with mental health issues and even those who have just moved into the district.
“Phased entry is compromised of what students and faculty need,” Bock said. “It provides time for personal attention, time to practice health and safety routines, develops confidence, and allows for early focus on students with complex needs.”
Bock also said she had received some negative feedback concerning complex learners.
“We are not communicating effectively what we are doing in a way that [families] have confidence,” she said. “It’s feedback we have to take, feedback we earnestly take. I want to be clear that we are deeply committed to meeting students IEPs and faculty on the ground care about getting their children service deliveries and are very anxious to get to them.”
Assistant Superintendent Daniel Mayer noted this remote week also had benefits for remote learners.
“This will be to build community, build an expectation, have students to meet teachers without masks on and create that bonding,” he said. “They will talk about what it is they should expect to see and experience and what the school day will look like.”
Then from Sept. 21 to Oct. 2, half of each cohort will attend on campus alternating days.
“This will guarantee we can have intimate conversations with students, how they are feeling and doing and making sure they understand the importance of health and safety protocols,” Mayer said.
Fridays have also been changed from alternating half days on campus to remote half days for all students. If there is a Monday holiday, the current cohort ill attend school that Friday and there will be no remote learning. Mayer noted these Fridays are not only a good time for the cohorts to interact and have a mask break, but are a chance to practice remote learning routines as it is possible school will eventually return to full remote.
Teachers return Aug. 31-Sept. 14 for training and planning.
“It is critically important for us to understand, we are asking faculty to come into school buildings and be in crowded places,” Mayer said. “We have to listen to them and put ourselves in their shoes.”
Bock also addressed health and safety updates, noting these tasks require ongoing planning and are continuously evolving due to changing health and science information as it comes in. There is ongoing communication with the BOH, and they are working to come up with daily metrics to track at each school. Custodial staff is being added, and shifts are being changed around to support extra sanitization during the day. A consultant was brought in to inspect and review HVAC systems, and HVAC systems have been cleaned and set for optimal functioning.
“It’s all about balance and mitigating risk,” Bock said. “You can’t just fill the air with a bunch of chemicals, you really have to have a cycle that’s thoughtful and a multi-tier responsiveness.”
The Health and Safety Committee includes at least one staff member from each school and will continue to meet weekly to review and revise protocols throughout the school year.
Important Updates
- Tuesday, Sept. 15 is the first day of school for students and from there will begin a phased hybrid implementation. Sept. 15-18 will be remote learning for most students, but complex learners will begin that week on campus. From Sept. 21 to Oct. 2, half of each cohort will attend on alternating days. Starting Monday, Oct. 5, the full hybrid plan will be implemented with full cohorts on alternating days.
- Fridays will be now be a remote half day for all students. If there is a Monday holiday, the current cohort ill attend school that Friday and there will be no remote learning.
- Families are being asked to commit to either the hybrid or standalone remote models. There will be opportunities to switch models at certain times, but Bock noted lots of families switching often will create disruption.
- Contract tracing will be done for students and staff who become symptomatic, are diagnosed or are quarantined, and families of close contacts will be notified appropriately. Contact tracing will also be tracked so trends can be spotted.
- For the standalone remote model, grades K-8 will be taught by WPS teachers, but high school will be taught mostly by Virtual High School (VHS) and WPS teachers where possible. WPS teachers will monitor VHS work done by students. VHS is already a popular program at the high school, and Bock said it is a model they have confidence in.
- For lunches, there will be additional lunch periods to reduce numbers, six foot distancing in seating inside and opportunities to use outdoor and other spaces to allow for masks breaks. Qualified students who choose standalone remote learning will still receive breakfast and lunch supports.
- For bussing, there will be cleaning and sanitizing before and after routes and students will hand sanitize when boarding. Masks will be required, and provided if necessary. Windows will be open as weather allows. There is a limit of 21 students per bus, with one student in each seat (or more than one of students are from the same family) on alternating rows.
- For recess, there will be hand sanitization before and after play and no shared materials or use of the play structure. Small cohort play groups will be assigned and if the children are outdoors at a distance of 10 feet or more, they can remove their masks. Bock noted the small cohort groups play time worked well in the summer program.
- For wellness and physical education, classes will be held outdoors as much as possible.
- For fine and performing arts, K-6 staff will travel to classrooms and students will have individual art/music kits for home and school use so that there are no shared materials. All performances have been canceled until at least January, and singing and playing of brass or woodwind instruments will not be allowed indoors.
- Daily staff travel between buildings will be eliminated or reduced.
- Appropriate face coverings include ones that fit snugly and it is recommended they be made of at least three layers. Inappropriate face coverings include bandanas, gaiters or fleece masks.
The school committee will have the final vote on the plan at their Monday, Aug. 17 meeting and the plan will be submitted to DESE that night. Vincent pointed out the conversation is ever-evolving and that families should expect to be getting lots of building based communication over the next month as administration continues to develop and then release information about cohorts, bus routes, schedules, class lists and daycare slots.
