Masconomet Reopening Plan Update

Dear Masconomet Community:

I am writing with an update on our planning process for the start of the new school year at the Masconomet Regional School District. The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education has granted all school districts in Massachusetts ten additional days for staff training at the beginning of the year.  With these ten additional days factored in to our calendar, we are scheduled to resume student learning on Monday, September 21^st, pending approval by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Our planning process for what education will look like on September 21st continues to be guided by a vigilant monitoring of public health data in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth’s careful and disciplined approach has enabled our state gradually to begin reopening, in part because of strong compliance with health and safety precautions. The question now on all of our minds is how and when we apply those lessons learned to begin safely reopening our public schools.

As you have heard, the Massachusetts Department of Education has directed districts to submit on July 31, 2020 a preliminary plan that addresses the feasibility of three options for serving students at the start of the school year. Those options include a full return to daily, in-person attendance, a hybrid plan combining in-school learning with remote learning, and finally, a 100% remote learning program.  Last week, a group of 40 stakeholders from the District, including teachers, nurses, department heads, building leadership and district administration met to review the guidance documents provided by DESE and to draft plans for each of the three options.  These drafts formed the basis for our July 31^st submission to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  An outline of the main components of these three plans, in-person, hybrid and remote, follows this letter. 

Our district’s final plan, once it is approved by the School Committee on August 12^th, will be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on August 13^th.  This submission will indicate which option the School Committee has selected for our students to begin the school year.  At this time, it is clear that we cannot implement an in-person model given the current health and safety requirements.  This leaves our hybrid and remote plans as the remaining two viable options.  Given the significant changes these plans will require in the way schools operate, we also must negotiate our proposal with all employee unions impacted: teachers, administrators, support staff, maintenance staff and paraprofessionals.  We are on a very tight timeline to meet the August 13^th DESE deadline for submitting final fall plans.

We recognize that the circumstances and needs of every family and staff member are different, and that no plan will satisfy everyone in our community. But rest assured we are working diligently to explore every option available to us, we remain guided by the data and science to keep our students and staff safe and healthy, and we will be prepared to make adjustments along the way if and when the public health conditions or other variables change. 

We will keep you informed of our progress in developing a final plan, selecting the option for starting the school year, and in our negotiations with our unions.  If you have questions regarding our plan, our School Committee has developed a survey for you to send us your questions.  The survey can be found at this link:  https://docs.google.com/forms/u/2/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLRrYZzmQgkuYt1AKn_AXUCACrTIn5tAAoc1h_Lol5wehNiQ/viewform?usp=sf_link  Your questions will be used to help us develop future communications around our plan.

I am confident that we can prioritize both safety and learning as we prepare for the start of a successful school year.  Thank you for your patience and cooperation in these difficult times.

Sincerely

Michael M. Harvey, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Summary of Masconomet Reopening Plan

All In-Person Learning

The goal of this plan is to return 100% of students to in-person learning in school environments that have been appropriately modified to address health and safety requirements issued by DESE.

• All students and staff will be required to wear a mask.
• Handwashing/sanitizing stations will be available throughout the buildings.
• Ensuring mandated three-foot minimum spacing in classrooms would require extensive furniture purchases and storage solutions.
• Unable to provide minimum required spacing in many courses (Arts, Music, Physical Education, Science Labs).
• Unable to transport all students using the maximum capacity of 25-students on busses.
• Unable to feed all students using the 6-foot minimum social distancing during lunch.
• Our feasibility study has led us to conclude we cannot implement an in-person model given the current health and safety requirements.

Hybrid Learning

Students alternate between in-person learning with safety requirements and remote learning.

• While in-person, all students and staff will be required to wear a mask.
• Handwashing/sanitizing stations will be available throughout the buildings.
• Approximately 50% of students will be in-school on a given day.  Students will attend in-person on an alternating basis (Either every other day or two consecutive days in school per week).
• Students who are not in school will follow their daily schedule remotely.
• 6-foot physical distancing will be the standard in all spaces in the building, including classrooms.
• Students will eat lunch in the field house with 6-foot minimum physical distancing.  Prepackaged lunches will be available for students.
• Reduced student numbers will make it possible to transport students using the current DESE guidelines.
• All students will follow a seven-period day, regardless of whether they are attending in-person or remotely.
• Special Education Cohorts as identified in DESE guidance will attend school full-time.
• Grading Periods, (Quarters and Semesters in the HS and Trimesters in the MS) will remain the same regardless of the teaching and learning environment.
• As during in-person learning, students may be assigned homework to be done outside of scheduled remote class instruction.
• Attendance will be taken in PowerSchool for every class.
• Teachers will maintain current instructions, assignments and learning materials in Blackboard and will provide clear learning objectives and expectations.
• Instruction in the curriculum will be done in coordination with Department Chairs.  Courses will follow the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Documents.
• Students will receive alphanumeric grades.  Standard Masconomet Grading policies will apply for grading periods.
• Parents will have the option to choose an all-remote learning plan for their children. 

Remote Learning

In this model, remote learning is the default model of instruction for all students, though some High Needs students may still be served in-person.

• DESE “Time in Learning” Requirements will apply to the Remote Schedules.
• Students will follow a five-day, eight period schedule.
• Students’ seven courses will each meet three times per week.
• All seven courses will meet on Monday.
• W.I.N. Block is added as a “What I need” period for students to access guidance counselors, coordinators, teachers, advisors, etc. as needed.
• As during in-person learning, students may be assigned homework to be done outside of scheduled remote class instruction.
• Students and teachers are expected to have a live, video presence during instructional time.
• Attendance will be taken in PowerSchool for every class.
• Teachers will maintain current instructions, assignments and learning materials in Blackboard and will provide clear learning objectives and expectations.
• Instruction in the curriculum will be done in coordination with Department Chairs.  Courses will follow the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Documents.
• Students will receive alphanumeric grades.  Standard Masconomet Grading policies will apply for grading periods.
• Grading Periods, (Quarters and Semesters in the HS and Trimesters in the MS) will remain the same regardless of the teaching and learning environment.

Masconomet Reopening Plan Planning Committee

The following group of teachers, administrators, parents and community members met at Masconomet on July 28-July 30 to develop the In-Person, Hybrid and Remote Learning Plans for the Masconomet Regional School District

Ursina	Amsler	Middle School Teacher, MTA Vice President
Doug	Batchelder	Director of Facilities
Marie	Bridges	Special Education Team Chair
Patty	Bullard	Asst. Superintendent for Student Services
Steve	Burt	Director of Safety and Security
Marc	Butterworth	Parent
John	Daileanes	Director of Athletics and Phys Ed.
Cathie	Daly	HS Secretary — Support Staff Association Co-President
Pete	Delani	HS Principal
Kristen	DeMarco	SEPAC Chair
Brad	Denton	Asst. Director of Special Education
Katie	DiNardo	HS Asst. Principal
Irene	Duros	Guidance and Counseling Department Head
Tammy	Fay	Science, Technology & Engineering Dept. Head
Meagan	Hildebrand	English Department Head
Ben	Hodges	Business and Comp. Sci. Department Head
Marshall	Hook	Parent
Kathy	Hostetter	HS Nurse
Ryan	King	Technology Integration Specialist
Gwen	Lemire	MS Nurse
Kendell	Longo	Boxford Director of Public Health
Stacy	Mannheim	Art Department Head
Phil	McManus	MS Principal
Gavin	Monagle	MS Asst. Principal
Carrie	Murphy	Director of Food Services
Lisa	Novack	Parent
Jeanne	O’Hearn	Foreign Language Department Head
Randy	O’Keefe	Music Department Head
Vin	Ruocco	Director of Information Technology
Jeff	Sands	Asst. Superintendent for Operations and Finance
Alyssa	Schatzel	HS Asst. Principal
Susan	Sooaar	Paraprofessionals’ Association President
Melissa	Stanley	High School Teacher, MTA Professional Improvement Committee Chair
Jill	Story	Social Studies Department Head
Denise	Tenanty	Math Department Head
Karen	Trevenen	HS Nurse