ORANGE — School committees will in the next several weeks determine if it is appropriate to wait until after Labor Day to have students return to school.
New Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Teahan-Zielinski announced on social media that reopening plans approved by school committees are due to the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by Aug. 10. Teahan-Zielinski, who took the reins from Tari Thomas about a month ago, said the Ralph C. Mahar Regional and Union 73 school districts are planning “town halls” for public discussion of the reopening models once the school committees approve them.
The Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District serves grades 7 through 12 in Orange, New Salem, Wendell and Petersham. Union 73 consists of Orange Elementary and Petersham Center schools.
Peter Cross, chair of the Mahar School Committee, said his committee will meet Aug. 4 at 4 p.m. to decide whether to approve Mahar’s reopening plan.
“I think we’re getting closer,” he said.
Teahan-Zielinski said the administration has been working diligently on preparing three potential reopening strategies — fully remote learning, in-person education, and a hybrid of the two.
The new superintendent explained remote learning would entail students learning electronically from home as they did for the end of past academic year, while the so-called “all-in model” would send all students back to their brick-and-mortar school buildings, with required mask-wearing and social distancing during an abbreviated school day. The hybrid model would split students into two clusters — the A Group, which would attend school Mondays and Tuesdays and use remote learning the remainder of the week, and the B Group, which would go to school Thursdays and Fridays and use remote learning the other three days.
Teahan-Zielinski said the school buildings would be student-free Wednesdays so custodians could deep clean the facilities. The superintendent said the buildings would also be cleaned regularly, including as students move from room to room.
“Each model has its own challenges, its own scheduling,” she said. “I feel like I’m spinning plates in the air.”
Teahan-Zielinski said regardless of which model is selected, a fully-remote option must be offered to students who are immuno-compromised or live with someone particularly susceptible to COVID-19. But, Teahan-Zielinski said, once a student has made the choice to learn remotely, he or she will not be able to change their mind until the end of the first semester.
The new superintendent also said bussing remains an issue. Due to social distancing, school buses can be filled by only a third, and Teahan-Zielinski said adults will be asked to drive their students to school and adhere to that commitment.
Teahan-Zielinski’s social media post also mentioned the districts are still waiting to hear from the state about budget numbers, including Chapter 70 money. The Chapter 70 program is the major program of state aid to public elementary and secondary schools and also establishes minimum spending requirements for each school district and minimum requirements for each municipality’s share of school costs, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.
“If there is a reduction in these funds, the models we have created will shift, depending on the district’s reliance on these funds for the school district budget,” Teahan-Zielinski wrote.
Teahan-Zielinski took the time to thank community members for their continued patience throughout these unprecedented times of COVID-19. She said the districts are working with various boards of health and school committees to maintain appropriate safety measures and policy as well as complying with recent DESE health protocols. Teahan-Zielinski also mentioned the districts are working “to ensure that sound educational methods are provided in all reopening models.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.