Parents of children in Old Rochester Regional District schools can now access COVID-19 information via a dashboard that Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson has made a regular part of the district website. He also spent time during the November 5 meeting of the Rochester School Committee discussing the challenges that come with consideration of moving toward a full, in-person return to school.
“At this time, we are not recommending a learning model change, but wanted to share this information and this update with the committee so that they have all the available information as they think about what is best for Rochester Memorial and our school system,” said Nelson. “The thought process is that the dashboard data points and key indicators should continuously be monitored by our key stakeholders and help drive decision making based on trends.”
Safety remains the No. 1 goal, said Nelson.
“Having our students in the building continues to be one of our main focuses,” he said. “While recognizing that each student and each family has a choice regarding which learning model makes most sense for them, we will do our very best to meet each student and each family where they’re at.”
The dashboard categorizes local, county, and statewide COVID-19 data and stakeholder approvals, including the Board of Health, school physicians, superintendent, and School Committee. Along with data generated at the state level, the dashboard considers internal information such as air quality, HVAC, and personal protective equipment status.
“No one data point is the end-all, be-all, and we have to look at all available information as we make decisions together,” said Nelson.
Noting the School Committee’s August approval of the 2020-21 back-to-school plan, Nelson referenced a recently released addendum including feasibility data regarding ORR’s school buildings and guidance interpretation.
“Moreover, the addendum provides additional in-person options for the School Committee to consider this school year,” explained Nelson. “Specifically, the addendum includes a letter to the school community from the superintendent, an executive summary of the main points of the addendum, and overview of the addendum and ongoing considerations when learning models change that all stakeholders should consider, the rationale behind the information that we shared, and the ideology regarding pivoting from learning model to model.”
Information about the new COVID-19 dashboard was included.
Nelson said there are five specific options for the committee to consider when it becomes feasible to consider increasing in-person learning opportunities.
The first is what a full return to school could look like with no modifications.
The second, a full return of students maintaining 3 to 6 feet of social distancing.
The third option is a full return of students maintaining at least 6 feet of social distancing, which is the current distancing standard inside ORR District school buildings.
The fourth is additional in-person opportunities for students in lower elementary grades—the fifth targets possible in-person opportunities through schedule modifications, after-school programming, etc.
Also included was feasibility data in each of the school buildings regarding learning spaces, staffing, transportation, and fiscal and resource information.
Committee member Tina Rood applauded Nelson’s effort and said a look across the dashboard showed that many people are coming out of quarantine. She sought clarification on costs associated with pivoting to an in-person learning model. Nelson confirmed those costs were listed by the classroom based on the latest collective bargaining agreement.
“I think it’s important that, even though we gave hypothetical scenarios, each time you change any of the options even slightly, it creates new situations that you have to problem-solve,” said Nelson. “I just want to be very clear that this just really looks at five major options for the School Committee and other stakeholders to consider as we continue to monitor data and make decisions in terms of what we think is best to keep all of our students’ families and staff members safe. But even within this plan, there are obviously many other pieces that we have to consider and work out.”
An in-person learning model would not cancel out a remote option.
Committee member Kate Duggan found the plan well laid out but asked, on behalf of parents whose children are struggling with remote education, if they have a realistic hope in this school year for a change.
“What we want is for all of our students to be in the building full time. I want to be very clear about that,” said Nelson. “With that being said, our kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, remote learning … can be very challenging.
“It does always bring up the issue of equity and stability, and also family schedules is that once you move one piece and whatnot, it changes a lot of other things, so I also think it’s important that we recognize that,” continued Nelson. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t consider other options, but we have to put everything on the table and really talk out all the different moving pieces.”
On the pandemic front, Rochester Memorial School is very fortunate regarding COVID-19, as there were no positive cases as of the committee’s November 5 meeting. Over the past two weeks, Rochester has been identified as a ‘red’ community. The ORR District has had nine positive cases since the start of school on September 16. ORR, according to Nelson at the November 5 meeting, had no staff in quarantine; there were two students in quarantine. Eight other students at the time of the meeting were symptomatic and awaiting test results. Altogether since the start of school on September 16, ORR has seen 50 students cleared to return to school after displaying symptoms and three staff members cleared to return.
“This shows how diligent we have all been in taking each symptom extremely serious to prevent in-school transmission,” said Nelson, thanking the town and school nurses.
Enrollment numbers at RMS were as follows: 26 home-schooled, 420 in the hybrid learning model, and 60 in the full-remote model.
Nelson told the committee that the Massachusetts Department of Education is directing ORR schools to go ahead with MCAS test preparation. Committee members criticized MCAS as an intrusion on the precious time needed to include what they consider more important.
Rood says parents would like a three-year moratorium on MCAS and will work with the teachers union on a letter that will be sent to DESE. Rood said the state’s direction toward “high-stakes testing” emanates from the national level and that local feelings are not likely to be considered.
The Rochester School Committee voted to appoint Rood to represent the committee in working with other stakeholders on a letter that will recommend ORR schools not have MCAS testing in the 2020-21 academic year.
The committee embraced the idea of using snow days as remote-learning days, and Rood mused that remote learning could render snow days obsolete.
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Janell Pearson-Campbell reported on her continued work supporting teachers with educational opportunities with guest speakers and special webinars better equipping them for the current array of challenges.
RMS Principal Derek Medeiros says students have been moving from model to model, including a home-schooled student who entered the hybrid-learning model at RMS. RMS had over 100 participants for its flu clinic.
Rood said Serial, an anti-racist podcast that is part of her homework as a member of the Anti-Racist Subcommittee, published an episode called “Nice White Parents.” Rood recommended that and other podcasts she had watched.
The ORR Joint School Committee / Superintendency Union #55 is scheduled to meet on November 19 at 6:30 pm.
Rochester School Committee
By Mick Colageo