SAUGUS — Many Saugus elementary students stepped foot in school buildings this Thursday for the first time in nearly a year.
The Saugus Public Schools began to transition to a hybrid model on Thursday, which started with the return of elementary students.
“I talked to all my principals and they all had a really good opening,” said Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi. “The kids really were thrilled to be back.”
Students at Douglas Waybright, Lynnhurst, Oaklandvale, and Veterans elementary schools began to return to school this week, while students at Saugus Middle High School will start to return on Tuesday, March 2.
Saugus schools have been remote — with the exception of a group of high needs students who returned in September — since March 13.
The schools have now entered a hybrid model, which divides students into two cohorts depending on their last names. One cohort attends school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the other learns in person on Wednesdays and Fridays. Everyone will be learning remotely on Mondays.
Students began Thursday with a shortened orientation schedule, which meant they were only attending classes in person for several hours before grabbing a take-home lunch and logging on for additional remote learning in the afternoon.
All families have the option of opting out of the hybrid model and continuing to learn remotely.
Those who opt out will remain remote for about five weeks, at which point the schools will develop a format for their return to school if they are more comfortable with the hybrid model at that point.
“The biggest challenge that we will face is that day, and it’s inevitable, that a school, a building, a class, will have to quarantine,” said DeRuosi.
In situations where this occurs, he said certain students will return to remote learning for a 10-day period.
Masks are required in school, and will be supplied in classrooms if needed. Desks have been spaced six feet apart, and there will be limitations placed on sharing items. The district has also purchased additional air purifiers for classrooms.
DeRuosi said the return to school has been a collaborative process with the Saugus Educators’ Association (the teachers union), which helped to craft the COVID policy. He said there was a high rate of attendance among teachers on the first day back.
This Tuesday will be the first time that middle and high school students can use the new combined school building that was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The challenge with these kids is that none of them have been in the building yet,” said DeRuosi. “If it goes half as well as it went today, I’ll be satisfied.”
Construction crews first broke ground at the site in July 2018, which features updated science and technology labs, the new school, a 12,000-square-foot gym, a 750-seat auditorium, outdoor classrooms, and student walkways and gardens, among numerous other amenities.
“In order for this transition to be successful, we need to keep strong lines of communication open between our school buildings and homes,” said DeRuosi. “We must work together to support each other through this phase of in-person education.”
The superintendent noted that the district’s ultimate goal is to bring all students back before the end of the school year.
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
