MARBLEHEAD — Superintendent Dr. John Buckey has announced that Marblehead Public Schools will begin the school year with remote learning and then gradually start bringing students back for in-person instruction.
Under the superintendent’s recommended plan, the district would begin the school year on Sept. 14, with three weeks of remote learning before switching to a hybrid model, or a mix of remote and in-person learning, on Oct. 5.
The plan, which Buckey presented to the School Committee on Monday night, allows students to continue with remote learning if they are uncomfortable with returning to in-person instruction in October.
Buckey said a hybrid model with safety measures, such as six-foot social distancing and mask-wearing, is supported by the Marblehead Board of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I know that the Marblehead community has weathered difficult times over the last few years, but I am here because I believe in the idea that together we can collectively do what’s best for our children, while safely phasing back to what we all want, which is in-person learning,” said Buckey in a reopening memo.
A full in-person learning model was ruled out by a district reopening committee consisting of administrators, teachers and parents, that, like the superintendent, recommended a phased approach with remote learning to start and a switch to a hybrid model when it is safe to do so.
“Of paramount importance is that, as a nation, and within the Commonwealth, we have not yet controlled the pandemic,” the reopening committee wrote in a letter to Buckey. “We have not yet established reliable systems for testing or reporting, and we have not had enough time with the virus to understand its potential to spread within community groups like schools.”
Under the hybrid re-entry model, students would be separated into two cohorts across the school district. Each cohort would receive two days per week of in-person learning for four hours on a Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedule with an additional four hours of in-person instruction every other week on Wednesday.
Lunch would not be served at school, and afternoons would be spent learning remotely, according to Buckey’s presentation.
Students who choose to continue with remote learning only after the district shifts to a hybrid model will be assigned an educator. The remote model will vary at different grade levels, but attendance will be taken, grades will be assigned, and participation with respect to each grade level will be required, according to Buckey’s presentation.
Buckey said special education services are in development to ensure the district is complying with or exceeding the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines.
Special education students and English Language Learners should, when safely possible, be given an opportunity to return to in-person instruction. The district is considering allowing in-person instruction for those students during the first few weeks of full remote learning, according to Buckey.
The DESE has tasked school districts with preparing plans for three reopening scenarios: in-person learning, hybrid learning and fully remote learning. Districts are required to submit their final plans to the state this week.
The superintendent had initially planned to introduce his plan to the school board during their meeting last Thursday, but the discussion and a potential vote was delayed until Monday due to an “unforeseen and unprecedented turnout” at last week’s Zoom meeting, Buckey said.
Attendees were shut out of last week’s School Committee meeting after the 300-person Zoom limit was reached. After an unsuccessful attempt to adjust the experience in real-time, the panel opted to reschedule a vote until Monday night’s meeting, which was held via Zoom and streamed live on YouTube.
Monday night’s meeting started with an hour of public comment, which featured remarks from numerous parents, many of whom spoke against the superintendent’s recommendation to start remotely.
At press time, the School Committee had not yet voted on Buckey’s recommended reopening plan.
