Published August 14, 2020
MELROSE — Many kids in the city will begin the 2020-21 academic year learning from home, the School Committee decided this week.
As they debated schools Supt. Dr. Julie R. Kukenberger’s reworked return to instruction plan, five school board members ultimately felt it better to delay returning students to the classroom for at least the first four weeks of school. The year begins Sept. 16. This delay, the majority believed, would create a good-faith negotiating base with teachers, who are adamant about not returning to the individual school buildings as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
In addition, most committee members were not comfortable for the moment implementing the administration’s proposed hybrid model, where kids learn from home one week and go to school the next.
There are exceptions, however. The district has a number of children who are considered “at risk,” youngsters who “absolutely need to be in school,” said School Committee Chairman Ed O’Connell. They will be taught in school, and there was discussion about expanding the so-called Group C to include even more kids. They will be get safe, in-person instruction beginning Sept. 21.
Kukenberger and her team, with the help of hundreds of residents, tweaked the initial draft of the return to instruction plan and presented it Tuesday. The so-called Best Fit Model allows for caregivers/parents to choose between hybrid learning and a remote-only option, the Melrose Distance Learning Academy (MDLA). There will be limited, in-person preschool options available as well.
The School Committee approved the reworked plan so it can be submitted to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. However, led by member Jen McAndrew, the discussion turned towards delaying the return of all kids to their schools. The delay passed 5-2, with Margaret Driscoll and Jennifer Razi-Thomas opposed; they wanted to implement Kukenberger’s proposal.
Families will be asked to select one option from an alternating in-person/learning from home schedule (Group A) or a remote-only option, the Melrose Distance Learning Academy (Group B). In the first option (Group A), students can participate in in-person instruction and connect virtually on an every other week schedule. Alternatively, students may opt to participate in a remote-only option (Group B). Families must choose one of the two options and commit to this choice as follows:
• Preschool – Students must make a full-year commitment to in-person instruction.
• Kindergarten Students and Students in Grades 1-8 – Students must commit to hybrid or remote instruction for the first trimester (57 days). Families may reassess after 57 days of school. Requests to transfer from one learning model to another will be accepted and considered; final decisions will be made based on staffing and space availability. If students change their model of instruction, they may be placed with a different teacher and set of classmates.
• Students in Grades 9-12 – Students must commit to hybrid or remote instruction for the first semester (85 days). Requests to transfer from one learning model to another will be accepted and considered; final decisions will be made based on staffing and space availability. If students change their model of instruction, they may be placed with a different teacher and set of classmates. The Melrose Public Schools will make every effort to keep siblings on the same schedule. Additionally, we aim to support families by keeping students who share caregivers or have siblings in the same cohort.
Students who qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan will receive their required services within their selected learning model. All students who are English Language Learners (ELL) will receive their services within their learning model chosen. These services may be delivered remotely or in-person, depending on individual student needs and circumstances.
Families will be asked to identify which learning model they plan to choose for each child enrolled in the Melrose Public Schools. Once a student in grades K-12 is assigned to a learning model/group, they will remain in this learning model for the beginning for a full trimester in grades 1-8. Kindergarten and high school students (grade 9-12) will stay in the selected learning model for an entire semester.
The alternating week model was chosen to allow the teacher and students to get into a rhythm and routine during in-person weeks and families and students to do the same during learning at home weeks. This five (5) day in and five (5) day out rotation also allows nine (9) days (including two weekends) for families to monitor students for symptoms before students re-enter the school community for another in-person week. Additionally, this rotation allows for deep cleaning of the buildings (in addition to daily cleaning) at the end of each week before a new cohort of students enters the building. We believe that the week in/week out rotation allows for the highest risk mitigation and added protection for staff and students.
The reworked plan to return to instruction in 2020-21 includes longer education days than originally proposed, lunches served in-building and weekly rotating “specials” like art, music and physical education.
But much remains the same as educators perform a very delicate dance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a memo to Melrose public school stakeholders last Friday, August 7, Supt. of Schools Dr. Julie R. Kukenberger wrote, “I know we are all getting eager as the start of a new school year nears. Although there is still much uncertainty about what exactly the school year will look like, we are getting one step closer as we share our revised return to instruction plan with you. Our MPS Comprehensive Return to Instruction Plan includes many updates and revisions based on feedback from staff, students, and families.
“Over the past two weeks, we have received over 2,000 feedback submissions and emails about our MPS Preliminary Draft plan from our Melrose education community. As we continue to prepare to reopen school this fall, this Comprehensive Return to Instruction Plan will serve as the foundation. Our comprehensive plan was designed in alignment with the guidance documents published by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and with input and collaboration from various members of our school community. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives, our community, and our society, we are committed to creating learning model options and choices so that families may make decisions based on their own unique needs and context. We have collected learning model preferences from 2,091 families and nearly 300 employees….
“We want to encourage our Melrose community to continue doing your part by wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, practicing good hand hygiene, and staying home when you are sick. We have all made great sacrifices over the past five or six months, and we need to continue to do our part so that we can bring our students back to school safely this fall,” Kukenberger wrote to families.