As the state releases its preliminary guidelines for what school will look like in the fall, Guilford Public Schools is looking forward at a huge number of unknowns, with various scenarios being planned for, including mixed remote and in-person school and extensive restrictions on all types of classroom and extracurricular activities likely.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman said that between now and September, there will likely be many more changes and adjustments, with Guilford still required to follow decisions made at the state level, which are still being made.
“The bottom line is, I think everybody needs to be prepared for some more flexibility as we move into this school year. It is unusual to ask a community to be waiting for details at this date in a summer, and I apologize we don’t have those details available,” Freeman told the Board of Education (BOE) on June 29.
The BOE previously moved scheduled professional development days for teachers to “the front of the calendar” in August and pushed back the first day of school for students until Tuesday, Sept. 8, Freeman said.
Based on the most recent state guidelines, the school is planning for three broad scenarios, Freeman told the Courier—a full reopening with restrictions, mixed remote and in-person school, and a return to full remote learning similar to the second half of this school year.
Any family that is uncomfortable or who has medical concerns is entitled to keep its children home and engage in school remotely, according to the state guidelines, and every district will have to make accommodations for those students.
BOE Chair Dr. Katie Balestracci said any number of factors will have an influence on what school looks like in the fall.
“It’s just helpful to really make clear that our school system is planning as best we can, but we will always be required to be responsible if some guidance or requirement from the state comes down,” she said.
Likely, there will be increased expenses due to many of these state mandates, according to Freeman, from staffing to cleaning costs. Any transition—from remote learning to in-person, or visa versa—would also likely precipitate expenses.
Guidance released by the state recommends that local and regional BOEs work with their town governments to secure federal funding in the likelihood there will be increased costs. The state already allocated a little under $100 million from the federal CARES Act last May for local school districts.
Freeman told the Courier that it’s likely the town will be given some flexibility as to how it implements parts of the state’s guidance, whether it be how it groups students or what extracurriculars might look like.
Outdoor classes are another thing the district is looking into, according to Freeman, though to what extent schools will be able to safely and appropriately teach students out-of-doors has yet to be determined.
It’s still unclear whether larger decisions, such as moving forward with in-person school or pulling back toward remote learning, will be made at the state or local level, according to Freeman.
Another challenge is transportation, Freeman said. Though the district assumes many students will have their parents drop them off or older will likely drive, others will not have the resources to do this, creating “an equity issue,” Freeman said.
Planning all this over the summer is especially difficult, Freeman told the Courier, because teachers are not under contract during the summer months. Right now, administration is reviewing surveys and focus group meetings that have drawn input from parents, students, and faculty on what worked these past few months as well as what didn’t.
Balestracci encouraged residents to continue to bring their concerns to the BOE as the district worked out priorities and plans this summer
