LYNNFIELD — All Lynnfield Public Schools students will return to full-time, in-person learning by April 5, Superintendent Kristen Vogel announced Monday.
“I am so happy for the kids, the families and it is fantastic,” said School Committee Chair Jamie Hayman. “When we knew the Department of Education hearing was taking place Friday, we knew that the decision made it clear where we had to go and triggered this scenario. We had planned on it and here it was.”
“We are thrilled to be welcoming all of our students back to full in-person on April 5,” Vogel said in a Monday morning newsletter. “We are continuing to work with our educators to ensure a safe transition for all students.”
The plan also provides for grades 1 and 2 to return to full-time, in-person learning, with grade 1 students returning on March 15 and grade 2 students returning on March 22. Middle school and high school students will be phased in by April 5.
The announcement came on the heels of Friday’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education vote to amend the time on learning regulations at the request of Jeffrey Riley, commissioner of education.
As a result of the decision, both the hybrid and remote-learning models will no longer count toward time on learning for the remainder of the school year. The state is now requiring grades K-5 to be back to full, in-person learning by April 5, with middle and high schools to follow at dates yet to be determined.
Vogel said the staggered timeline for upper grades is primarily intended for districts that have been fully remote, but “since we have been in our hybrid model since September, we do not see a legitimate safety or educational reason for why we should stagger the return of our middle school and high school students.”
Safety protocols and practices will remain in place, including required mask-wearing, social distancing to the greatest extent possible, plastic dividers, one-way hallways, use of outdoor spaces (weather permitting), and staying home when symptomatic.
“In order for us to continue with full, in-person, we still need to be diligent in the community with adhering to social gathering limits, mask-wearing, and distancing,” Vogel said.
The district is asking parents to commit to either full remote or full, in-person learning for the rest of the school year and is also asking parents to complete an online survey indicating their intentions by Friday.
“We will provide details as to what the remote-only option will look like soon,” said Vogel. “We are still working with our teachers on this plan and it may look different depending on the grade level.”
For the remainder of the year, the first Wednesday of each month continues as an early release day for professional development.
The district will be hiring additional teachers for remote-only instruction. Classroom spaces will be reconfigured. In some rooms, furniture will be removed, while others will have additional smaller desks. The district recently purchased smaller desks in anticipation of kindergarteners returning to full-time, in-person learning, which took place on March 1.
Vogel said the district is planning new lunch schedules and adjustments to existing protocols. Additional cleaning staff will also be hired.
“We have been working on getting all of these pieces in place so we can be ready for all of our students on April 5,” Vogel said.
Effective March 19, the 30-day remote policy will no longer apply. Vogel cautioned that “moving your child to remote should not be for family vacations. We do not encourage families to take vacations outside of school vacation weeks and our teachers are under no obligation to provide work to your child if you choose to take a vacation outside of vacation weeks.”
Vogel said she will ask the School Committee at its Tuesday meeting to change the busing policy to last year’s policy, “to allow for more students to ride the buses to school.”
Hayman said it’s been a team effort from day one, “361 days ago.”
“It’s been a long year, but truly, Kristen and the administrative leadership team are the heroes,” he said. “The (Lynnfield Teachers Association), the (Emergency Management Team) — they are all heroes. The teachers and administrators and, of course, the students are heroes.
“I’ve seen firsthand what has gone into getting to this point. The guiding principles Kristen has focused on have allowed her to lead with what is in the best interests of our students and staff, and everything came together to make this happen,” Hayman said.
