With health metrics improving and mitigation measures in place across Massachusetts schools, Elementary and Secondary Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday it's time to begin the process of getting more students back into classrooms.
Riley, who is set to join Gov. Charlie Baker and Education Secretary James Peyser for a 2 p.m. press conference on education and COVID-19, told Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members that he plans to ask them in March to give him the authority to determine when hybrid and remote school models no longer count for learning hours, as part of a broader plan to return more students to physical school buildings.
The state will be phasing in students to in-person learning starting with elementary schools in April.
Riley said he would take a "phased approach to returning students into the classrooms, working closely with state health officials and medical experts." He said his plan would focus on elementary school students first, with the initial goal of having them learning in-person five days a week this April.
He told the board he would then plan to phase in middle and high school students by the end of this school year.
“When the pandemic started we made it possible for districts to use remote and hybrid plans, through the student learning time regulations," Riley said. "At some point as health metrics continue to improve, we will need to take hybrid and remote learning models off the table and return to a traditional school format."
Parents would still be able to choose remote learning for their child through the end of the year, Riley said, and there would be a waiver process for districts that might need a more incremental approach.
Riley also told the board to expect more information soon on programs, slated to start this summer and likely to continue "for the next several years," to address learning loss and gaps developed while students have been out of school buildings, including one-week intensive tutoring academies, programs with community colleges for high school seniors who did not pass MCAS tests, and increased gifted and talented programs for students of color.
Public schools in Massachusetts have been offering an array of education options this school year, with most schools blending remote and in-person learning and some schools still in remote-only operations. Teachers and school personnel have pushed to be moved up in the vaccination eligibility hierarchy, but currently remain behind other large groups.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is also slated to vote Tuesday on permanent remote and hybrid learning regulations.
The vote considers making permanent the current standards around remote and hybrid learning models, which were adopted on an emergency basis in December.
The measures include:
- Schools operating remotely must provide instruction where students can directly interact with a teacher or classmates in real-time each school day.
- Remote districts and schools must provide at least 40 hours of that type of instruction over a 10-day period.
- Districts and schools using a hybrid model must provide at least 35 hours of live instruction over a 10-school day period.
In a previous memo summarizing these standards, Riley said he was "extremely concerned about the increased prevalence of student mental health challenges arising during the pandemic."
Riley has said frequent connections with teachers and peers can help combat the issue.
A new study by NBC News and the non-profit Challenge Success found that despite risks associated with returning to classrooms during the pandemic, students learning remotely are experiencing more stress.
The board is also slated to vote on five charter school matters: Riley is recommending the board approve amendment requests for two schools seeking to become regional, Holyoke Community Charter School and Marblehead Community Charter Public; and for two others seeking to increase maximum enrollments, Lawrence Family Development Charter School and Lowell Community Charter Public School.
He is also recommending renewing the charter for Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter School, remove it from probation, and maintain the condition requiring improved academic performance
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February 24, 2021 at 01:33AM
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Mass. Wants to Have All Elementary School Students Back in Classrooms by April - NBC10 Boston
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