LYNN — The city’s school district has opted to start off the school year with remote learning only for the majority of students.
In-person learning will be offered to certain groups of students, including special education students in sub-separate classrooms, English Language Learners, and students who attend Fecteau-Leary Junior/Senior High School, the district’s alternative school.
The reopening plan, announced by Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler on Wednesday night, was unanimously approved by the School Committee in a meeting that had to be streamed on Facebook Live due to the overwhelming attendance in the Zoom meeting.
Tutwiler said his recommendation for a remote start to the school year was based on the recent surge in virus cases in the city and substantial feedback that was solicited from his administrative team, staff, and district families.
Citing the recent spike in virus cases in the city, and students who have tested positive in one school district that reopened to in-person instruction in another state, Tutwiler said it would be irresponsible to reopen city schools in any capacity other than a remote learning model this fall.
“This is something over which I’ve agonized for some time,” said Tutwiler. “We’ve sweated the details, turned every stone and paid attention to the trends both locally and statewide. It’s clear to me the state is trending in a (troubling) direction. The positive cases in Lynn in the 14 days prior to July 29 were the highest in the state.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee, chairman of the School Committee, said the data shows that the city’s positive test rate between July 26 and Aug. 1 was 9.71 percent. The city’s rate has not been that high since mid-May, he said.
“We definitely are substantially upticking compared to other communities,” said McGee. “I think it’s really important to reiterate that we are the ones that can change the dynamic by wearing masks, social distancing, and being smart.”
Tutwiler said he thinks a phased reopening is the best approach for the school district. His plan includes the potential for a shift to a hybrid system — a mix of in-person and remote learning — later in the school year, which would be dependent on improving health metrics.
Tutwiler said the school district will make a determination the Friday prior to Thanksgiving in terms of whether instruction will shift to a hybrid model on Dec. 1. Schedules for both remote and hybrid learning have been prepared for the elementary, middle and high school levels.
With the exception of the high schools, the schedules for remote learning mirror those for hybrid learning for students, which is aimed at providing a more seamless transition, Tutwiler said.
For instance, under a hybrid model, elementary students would receive two days of in-person instruction per week and three days of remote learning while high school students would operate on an A/B schedule, with two teams of students switching between a week of in-person instruction and spending another week learning remotely.
Schedules for a fully in-person learning scenario were not shared, as Tutwiler, citing enrollment challenges, said the school district has determined that the model with the required social distancing can only work in certain schools at the elementary level.
Tutwiler said his team has determined it would be inappropriate to vary plans on a school-by-school basis and has opted to take a uniform approach across the district.
The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has tasked school districts with preparing plans for three different reopening scenarios: in-person learning, hybrid learning, and fully remote learning.
School districts are required to submit their final reopening plans to the state by Aug. 10.
School Committee members spoke favorably of Tutwiler’s decision to reopen schools in a full remote learning scenario this fall, although some noted the challenges that working families with young children will face.
“We would be falling on deaf ears if we started with a hybrid model,” said committee member Michael Satterwhite. “The science and the data, they go hand in hand with why the remote should be where we start so I appreciate that.”
Committee member Jared Nicholson said the district’s decision to start remotely does not mean school officials are not concerned about what students will be losing by not learning in a classroom setting.
Tutwiler acknowledged the challenges to remote learning, acknowledging that it was not the preferred choice of district families based on the results of a community survey, but said that the district has taken steps to vastly improve the online learning experience from last spring when schools were shut down.
He said that includes purchasing devices to ensure that all students grades 3-12 will have a computer, with a plan to secure devices for grades K-2, and implementing a new learning management system for online instruction.
“To say that remote learning is vastly improved is actually an understatement,” said Tutwiler. “It is a complete and total new experience.”