Published August 7, 2020

MELROSE — As administrators work to retool their return to instruction plan for the 2020-21 academic year, they are being urged by the teachers’ union not to open school buildings until it’s safe to do so.

Lisa Donovan, president of the Melrose Education Association, wrote in a letter that for the time being, remote learning should be the only teaching method.

“Educators continue to grapple with weighing the benefits of in-person instruction versus the health and safety standards needed to return to classrooms and campuses. Faced with a pandemic that is actively spreading to children, teens, and adults, we know that it is not safe to return to in-person learning at this time,” she writes.

“As educators, we are advocating for a return to in-person learning that is guided by science, educational best practice, and the health and safety of our students and educators.

“The stakes have never been higher. Not one single person should get sick or die because we opened our doors prematurely. The only acceptable death count is zero,” Donovan continues.

The complete letter appears on Page 4 of this week’s issue.

Melrose school leaders were continuing to rework their original reopening plan this week to incorporate concerns expressed by the public. The School Committee meets again Tuesday, August 11.

The initial draft recognized the fact that complete in-school learning is not possible at this time because of the coronavirus pandemic, and also spoke to the fact that all is constantly fluid. It allowed for a couple of options: kids can learn remotely one week and physically go to school each day until lunchtime the next. Or they can learn completely at home. The choice is up to caregivers. And things are always subject to change.

Supt. Dr. Julie Kukenberger and her administrative team explained their reopening vision to the School Committee on Tuesday, July 28, about two hours after comments were fielded from some of the 480 people who logged into the remote meeting.

In researching how to reopen schools that have been closed since the middle of March, Kukenberger said administrators “sought feedback from multiple stakeholders in the creation of this plan for return to instruction. In the spring, small groups of educators met to help begin the planning around instruction, social-emotional learning needs, and technology. Much of the work from the spring will support all three of the models outlined in this document. In the spring, administrators also met with METCO and English Language Learner ( ELL) families to discuss challenges they had experienced during the unexpected period of remote learning. The district administered a survey to parents, teachers, and students in the spring to gather feedback on the implementation of remote learning. The District Leadership team analyzed the data, which was used to help inform this document. In July, MPS staff members completed a survey indicating their comfort level in returning to school.

“In addition, school principals meet with their building based labor management teams on a weekly basis and continue to meet with staff on an ongoing basis throughout the summer. The Superintendent has engaged with a group of parent stakeholders that included representation from Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), elementary and secondary parents, and METCO families. ThoughtExchange was used to gather input from the community, families, and staff on what the return to instruction would look like. All of that data was analyzed and informs the planning of this document. We will also continue to seek feedback on this proposed plan and expect additional revision to address students, families, and staff needs.”

As the return to instruction plan was being devised, Kukenberger said health, safety and well-being of students and staff; a commitment to ensuring all students experience success through equity and access, and the need to provide for excellence in teaching and learning with high quality instruction were the guiding principles, and will continue to be during implementation of the plan and its continued evolution.