PEABODY — Peabody Public Schools students will have to wait another two weeks before returning to full-time, in-person learning.
The School Committee voted Tuesday to delay the return of elementary school students to March 29, marking a two-week delay from the originally scheduled date of March 15.
Middle and high school students, originally slated to return on March 29, will not return until April 7. Students who wish to remain in a remote model will continue to have that option.
“The district collaborated with the Peabody Federation of Teachers to identify the above dates, and continues to work closely with the organization on details for a safe, phased return to fully in-person learning,” Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala said in a Tuesday statement.
“The transition is still a week ahead of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s required timeline for the return to in-person instruction, through which elementary school students must return by April 5.”
Vadala noted that while the timeline is two weeks later than the district’s initial goal, the decision to push back the dates was made following community and union input.
“It has been determined that a slightly later return will be beneficial as teachers make their vaccination appointments, the district continues to finalize its facility preparations, and families as they plan their schedules and childcare needs,” said Vadala.
School Committee Chairman and Mayor Ted Bettencourt told committee members that a “tentative agreement” has been reached with the Peabody Federation of Teachers.
“The union brought forth very legitimate concerns that I think we are and will be able to address,” Bettencourt said. “We also had legitimate concerns so it was a really good exchange of concerns on both ends. It’s tentative, a framework of an agreement that still needs some minor issues to be worked out, but we are confident that this will move forward.
“I believe we are one of the biggest districts, if not the biggest, that will have an agreement with its teachers’ union. I think we are ahead of a large majority of cities with these (re-opening) dates and I am confident that an agreement will be reached.”
Committee member Brandi Carpenter, who is part of the committee’s negotiations team currently working with the union, said, “this has been very difficult for everyone involved, but I am happy that we were able to reach a compromise.
“We still have some things to work out, but this was a proud moment for us to get through this.”
Vadala said more information on the return to full, in-person learning will be shared as soon as it becomes available and he is thankful for the continued patience and understanding of everyone in the district.
“It is not lost on us how significantly these transitions and timelines impact our staff, students and families,” Vadala said. “Our teachers have worked tremendously hard this year and we are fortunate to have such a dedicated staff who care very much about the academic growth and social-emotional well-being of their students.
“It has long been a priority for our district to help our teachers access the vaccine once eligible and part of that commitment means pushing back this timeline slightly.”
Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne said getting kids back into classrooms is much more complicated than people may think.
“There’s a lot to this, a lot of very involved logistics when it comes to day-to-day operations,” Dunne said. “It was important to work this out so that it will be better for everyone. A lot of things are happening, but the stars finally are aligned. It’s all good for Peabody.”
Dunne said she received numerous emails from parents who watched the meeting.
“Some parents were pleased with the decision to push back the date knowing we needed the time to work out the logistics, while some were wild that we pushed it back. There are as many variables as there are people. But at the end of the day, we don’t operate in a vacuum. We all work together.”