SAUGUS — Saugus students won’t head back to school for hybrid learning until at least January 4.
The decision was made at Thursday’s school committee meeting, during which the board voted 3-2 to forgo the tentative Nov. 5 start date initially announced in September, citing the need to avoid potential virus surges that may happen during the upcoming holiday season.
Committee member Arthur Grabowski, who voted in favor of the motion, said he felt the potential disruption for students and teachers would be unnecessary.
However, chair Thomas Whittredge voted against the postponement, noting that the district had taken a number of precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in recent months, and that many working parents have struggled to balance their jobs and school with an entirely online model.
“There are a whole bunch of families that want these kids back in schools because they can’t stay home anymore,” he said. “A lot of these parents have to stay home and either have one income now or are (collecting) unemployment. It’s really taking a toll on these families.”
Vice chair Ryan Fisher, who also voted alongside Grabowski to delay the reopening, acknowledged that the decision had received mixed reactions from parents.
“From all the communication I’ve had with families, it was clear to me going into the meeting that we were going to both please and devastate families whatever we decided,” he said, adding that he felt there were myriad reasons to postpone the district’s start date.
“There’s more to be done on the learning models, parents and students need to feel comfortable that they’ll be able to learn well in both classrooms and remotely, and with the spikes in COVID and with the holidays around the corner, there’s a lot of anxiety about being safe and not spreading COVID,” he said.
He also noted that repairs needed at the Veterans Memorial Elementary School would have pushed the reopening date back to at least Nov. 17, falling right in the middle of two potential case surges between Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Saugus has remained consistently in the high-risk zone for COVID-19 cases according to the state’s virus tracking map. As of Oct. 28, the town had reported 861 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the community, including 43 deaths.
Fisher is, however, keeping his fingers crossed for better days — and lower numbers — ahead.
“We’re plugging away at all of these issues behind the scenes, and it’s frustrating that we can’t answer every question on the spot, but we’re staying on this,” he said. “We’ve realigned our plans as the circumstances changed and hopefully we’ll catch a break over the next few weeks.”
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
