LYNN — Lynn Public Schools students will be given the option to return to their respective school buildings or continue to learn remotely under the district’s revised reopening plan, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler announced Thursday.
The district’s return to in-person instruction will occur in two movements, Tutwiler told the School Committee, which will begin with a hybrid structure and maintain safety as the foremost priority.
It has been a year since schools in the city pivoted to fully remote learning. As cases decrease and vaccination ability increases, school districts are beginning to plot a return to buildings. Tutwiler explained that returning with a hybrid model is a thoughtful transition that prioritizes safety and aligns with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) guidance for districts that were previously fully remote.
“We believe that the movement for increasing the number of students learning in-person should be thoughtful and cautious,” Tutwiler said. “Each transition during the month of April will allow us the opportunity to acquaint students with their classroom for the first time this year.”
The first movement will allow kindergarten students to return to their a.m. and p.m. sessions in a hybrid stricture on April 1. On April 5, special education students who are currently practicing an a.m. and p.m. session schedule will transition to a full-day model. Shop experiences for juniors at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute will also begin on April 5.
Grades 1 and 2 and all of Fallon Elementary School will transition to a hybrid model on April 7, which Tutwiler referred to as a soft rollout.
April 12 will allow for a large group of secondary students, including middle school and grades nine and 10 at Lynn English and Lynn Classical, as well as all of Fecteau-Leary, to return for hybrid courses. During that week, all of Lynn Tech will return practicing a hybrid model.
Grades 3 through 5 will begin hybrid learning on April 14, followed by grades 11 through 12 on May 3, after April vacation. That will complete the transition to hybrid learning for all grades and programs.
That timeline allows for students to become reacquainted with the buildings and the new safety protocols, and also allows teachers more time to get vaccinated.
The second movement will begin on May 3, shifting grades 1 through 5 from hybrid to five full-days in-person, while kindergarten will shift to five days in their a.m. and p.m. sessions.
The schedule for returning students to five, full days in the middle schools will be determined at a later date, once more data and surveys are available.
“(The) return to full time at the middle school level is dependent on the number of students that will return,” Tutwiler said.
He said there is limited space, so accommodating all students on site while embracing physical distancing requirements, even at three feet, will be tough. He will also await guidance on high schools.
Tutwiler emphasized the importance of adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s five key strategies for in-person learning. Those strategies include universal and correct use of masks, physical distancing, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities and contact tracing in collaboration with the health department.
Tutwiler said that they have staffed schools with nurses, and the Lynn Community Health Center will support the nursing staff and be a contact during emergencies.
If parents decide to keep their children at home, the schools will continue to provide virtual instruction as they have since September. Classes will be simultaneous for students at home and in school, allowing for virtual learners to participate and view on-site students. Tutwiler said the district has purchased bluetooth microphones to enhance what’s being said by the instructors.
He said that they will continue to fine-tune this plan and are making “every effort to make this as simple as possible.”
Families received communication from Tutwiler this past Wednesday and from their school principals on Thursday, asking families to make a decision that will be binding for the remainder of the year. Tutwiler said that they will provide the families with all of the information they need, but asks that they make a final decision.
More information will be provided when parents make the determination on whether their child wants to return to in-person learning or remain remote. Tutwiler said it all depends on the numbers.
In the past year, teachers have leveraged to provide the best services possible for their students and families while gaining a range of experiences, according to Tutwiler.
He said he is welcoming the change back to in-person learning, but will exercise a great deal of caution in embracing the shift.
“This is about safety,” Tutwiler said. “It doesn’t feel safe to me to just go right back into in-person without letting them get used to the scene.”
