Hello everyone, I know I have been quiet, there are numerous reasons stemming from personal reasons to life changes that have taken my attention away from writing. I am here today to reach out to though as working in the public school system has prompted the need for information to get out from the educators and staff that work with children every day. We know what our students need, we know how to deliver it, we are the front lines, we don't sit in our offices making decisions without first hand knowledge. It is perfectly acceptable to make plans however it is much different to implement those plans while including the thought process of the logistics to making it work.
I am including here, a statement from SEA President of the district that I work within.
"Our staff want nothing more than to be in our classrooms with our students when school opens.We miss our students, and to be in-person with all of them in school is what education is supposed to be. However, we have an obligation to keep our students, staff, and families safe.As we look at the DESE guidelines put out this summer, the hard work of the Sudbury Task Force, models from neighboring school districts, and medical updates and data regarding the virus, it is still clear that returning in-person in any hybrid model is not what safety calls for at this time.Therefore, the Sudbury Education Association, which includes hundreds of teachers, support staff, and custodians, is recommending a virtual start to the school year. During the course of the summer, SEA leadership has surveyed its members frequently to ensure we are accurately representing what they feel is the best course of action. It has been determined that a virtual start as part of a phased-in approach that is tied to science, data, and public health benchmarks, is how we can keep everyone safe.At the beginning of summer, we all thought we would be back in our classrooms and offices inthe fall in some model. However, as the summer has progressed, we have seen increasing numbers of people testing positive for the virus in our state, and we are learning more about how this virus can be spread, especially in younger populations. The risks, at this time, are too great to have our students and staff enter the school buildings. One student or staff member potentially contracting the virus and sustaining long term health issues, or even worse, is one too many for our Sudbury Community.Following DESE’s recommendation, a phased-in approach begins with having ten days prior to students’ starting school for staff to have time to prepare a robust, structured, consistent, virtual learning plan. It provides time for teachers, special education service providers, and support staff to collaborate and plan for synchronous learning, differentiation, and interventions. The Sudbury educators are eager to begin this work to craft a virtual plan that is rigorous and includes both academic and social-emotional learning.A virtual start to the school year enables our students to all be part of the same classroom community. It allows our educators to engage virtually in more “close contact” instructional practices, such as small groups, and individual conferences, that may not be safely possible in alive, in-person model at this time.
In addition, it is our belief that the virtual start will actually increase time on learning for ours students. In a fully virtual model, all students will have live, synchronous instruction daily, and we will not need to pause instruction for mask breaks, hand washing breaks, staggered hallway transitions, and other safety procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We want our students to continue to develop and strengthen their love of learning, and do not want a highly-restrictive return to in-person school to diminish that in any way.Above all else, this approach keeps our students, staff, and families safe. It provides time for SPS to work with public health officials to address unanswered safety questions and concerns,to plan the detailed logistics and procedures that come with any sort of in-person plan, and prepare for a potential return to in-person teaching and learning in the (hopefully) near future.We appreciate the efforts so far to look out for the safety and health of everyone, but we know there are more concerns to address, more questions to be answered, and that each and every safety aspect of the return to in-person teaching and learning requires careful thought and planning. The SEA looks forward to the time when we have a transparent, detailed,agreed-upon plan that addresses safe learning and working conditions, as well as communicates the procedures and policies regarding safety for all students, staff, and families.We know that any decision made regarding school reopening is not easy, and each model presents its own challenges for our families, students, staff, administration, and school committee members. Together, we can work through the challenges, and support one another to create positive learning experiences for our students.Finally, to our families; you know us. We are the educators of your children, the staff that work sin your front offices, the Custodians that keep your school buildings running. You know the passion we have for working with your children. So you also know how hard it is for us to think about beginning school without seeing them walk through the schoolhouse doors. Our hearts want nothing more than to be back in the schools, setting up our classrooms just like we were a year ago. However, our heads know that we can’t do that right now. As educators, we alwaystell our students one of our most important jobs is to keep them safe, in all manners of the word.Never has that sentiment been more real than it is now."
