WPS REOPENING PLANS GLENN BRAND, Ed.D SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS AUGUST 6, 2020
SCHOOL REOPENING PLANS ● We are working closely with public health experts, teachers, administrators, community members, and parents to plan for a safe and healthy reopening of school. ● The Commissioner of Education has requested that each school district submit a final plan for the fall that includes three (3) learning models: ○ Full ‐ time, in ‐ person ○ Hybrid plan with both in ‐ person instruction, as well as remote ○ Fully remote ● While one plan must ultimately emerge as the model under which a district will reopen, it is clear that, given the conditions and circumstances, the upcoming year may necessitate districts/schools to transition from one model to another and to be far more flexible than ever.
WPS REOPENING PLANNING ● Final recommendations from the WPS Reopening Advisory Group have been made and will soon be available on our website ● A huge thanks to all of those who provided considerable time over the last few months to help solidify our plans. ● We have created a new section of the website where we are adding information related to our reopening, which will include our final plan in detail. That plan will be approved by the School Committee and submitted to DESE.
Health & Safety Planning
MEDICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION – WHY IS DESE RECOMMENDING IN ‐ PERSON LEARNING? After weeks of discussion with many stakeholders, including members of the Return to School Working Group, infectious disease physicians, pediatricians and other public health experts, and given low transmission rates of COVID ‐ 19 in the state, there continues to be a clear consensus amongst these stakeholders at this time that in ‐ person learning is both possible and preferred. DESE Doctors on Back to School in Massachusetts
THE CURRENT PLAN FOR HEALTH & SAFETY FOR ANY IN ‐ PERSON LEARNING • Current DESE guidance is to aim for 6 ‐ feet physical distance between students, with no less than three feet. • Given the Center for Disease Control Guidance, our plan is to utilize 6 ‐ feet within classrooms. • DESE has established a requirement that masks/face coverings must be worn for all staff and all students Grades 2 ‐ 12. • We originally extended that requirement to Grade 1 students, as well, but I am extending this further and will be making it a requirement for ALL students to wear a mask when in school. • All students are required to wear a mask on buses.
COVID ‐ 19 MONITORING • A safe return to in ‐ person school environments will require a combination of health and safety steps. • Masks are amongst the most important single measure to contain the spread of Covid ‐ 19. • Testing, combined with contact tracing, quarantining and isolation also helps to control the spread of Covid ‐ 19. • Contact tracing for purposes of isolation and quarantine will be conducted by Wilmington Board of Health, with the help of the school district staff and families. • Local cases of Covid ‐ 19 are reported to the Wilmington Board of Health. • Weekly reporting of cases in Wilmington is provided by the Board of Health through website and social media postings.
COVID ‐ 19 MONITORING • Decisions on phases or regression of phases falls under the Governor and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Wilmington Board of Health continues to follow that guidance. • When there is suspected in ‐ school transmission beyond one small cohort of students or staff, WPS school leaders will consult with the Wilmington Board of Health to discuss further steps, which could include: ▪ Making a decision to close school or part of school for extensive cleaning ▪ Making a decision to close school for a 14 day quarantine period • If the community as a whole is experiencing significant municipal outbreak the Superintendent will discuss with the Wilmington Board of Health to determine whether it is appropriate to close a specific school or the district as a whole. • Any decision to close a school or school district will require the Superintendent to consult with DESE prior to making that final decision.
Planning for Instruction and WPS Reopening
DEFINING LEARNING MODELS In ‐ Person Learning : Hybrid Learning Model : Remote Learning Model : ● Students receiving in ‐ person ● Students will alternate between ● Remote learning is the default instruction full time in school in ‐ person learning with safety mode of instruction for students environments that have been requirements and remote ● DESE has indicated that appropriately modified to learning Structured Learning Time address health and safety ● In this model, some High Needs requirements apply to remote requirements issued by DESE students may still participate in learning ● In this model, districts may still full ‐ time in ‐ person instruction have a subset of students whose and some families may still families have decided to decide to keep their children continue remote learning while learning remotely full time the rest of the school returns to in ‐ person learning.
CURRENT FALL REOPENING PLAN FOR WPS •Utilizing the parameter of 6 ‐ feet social distance, not only in the classroom but also during lunch periods, renders it simply not possible to welcome all students back in ‐ person. • Based upon the current health conditions in our community and the advice of our local health advisors, we are planning to reopen with a hybrid model of instruction which will allow for a portion of our students to be in school at a time for some in ‐ person learning. •The ability to combine some in ‐ person instruction with far fewer students at a time allows for increased safety, balanced by a much more robust remote learning model, is what seems most appropriate at this time.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE WPS HYBRID PLAN Gr. 1 ‐ 12 • For students in Grades 1 ‐ 12, the hybrid learning plan will include : ▪ Two (2) full days of in ‐ person learning for half of our students on Monday and Thursday (Cohort A) ▪ Two (2) full days of in ‐ person learning for the other half of students on Tuesday and Friday (Cohort B). • The other three (3) days of the week for each cohort will be used for remote learning. • Each Wednesday students from both groups will interact together with their teacher remotely. • If the entire district must switch to fully remote, all students will transition to remote learning with their current teachers. Siblings will be scheduled in the same cohort if a family elects to have each student participate in the hybrid model of instruction.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE WPS HYBRID PLAN • We will operate as closely as possible on a regular schedule at each school, recognizing that there will be some time lost for regulating entry/dismissal time for scheduled handwashing and mask breaks, etc. • We will aim to provide elementary students with as many of their typical courses as possible. • Every effort will be made to offer all courses that our WMS and WHS students select, but some schedule limitations will be in place. • At home learning days will include a combination of assignments/classwork to be done at home, along with new learning, and there may be non ‐ electronic materials ‐ all of which will be leveraged through a more robust learning management system.
THE WPS HYBRID MODEL PRE ‐ K & KINDERGARTEN ● Our current plan at the Wildwood School and Boutwell School (both PreK and K) includes a half day program with morning and afternoon sessions. ● This planning supports students attending school for in ‐ person learning in a manner that is developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners. ● This model will provide: ○ Age ‐ appropriate curriculum while adhering to state guidance/restrictions ○ Consistent daily routine to help with first school experience ○ Our special populations, including students with disabilities and English learners, with the necessary services and accommodations they require ○ Smaller class size to allow for compliance with health and safety guidelines If a fully in ‐ person model is resumed during the school year for grades 1 ‐ 12, the District will reassess the feasibility of returning to full ‐ day programming for Kindergarten.
THE WPS HYBRID MODEL To clarify, the Hybrid model is WPS’s chosen in ‐ school/in ‐ person model and the one that, at this time , is the focus to begin school in the fall of 2020 Current and ongoing conditions could and will dictate the degree to which we can utilize this model, including • Staffing availability ‐ with the possibility of having a shortage of staff we may not have an appropriate level of staffing, which could impact our ability to operate programs in ‐ person. • Challenging Circumstances ‐ the immense complexity of trying to plan for all of this may warrant additional time at the beginning of the school year, resulting in the need to begin remote instruction at first, transitioning to the in ‐ person hybrid model. • Health Conditions ‐ the current healthy conditions may dictate whether in ‐ person or remote is in play. • Other Factors ‐ there may be additional factors that have not yet been anticipated, which will impact our ability to begin with the hybrid model.
WPS SAMPLE ELEMENTARY LEVEL HYBRID SCHEDULE
WPS SAMPLE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL HYBRID SCHEDULE
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