District officials are finalizing plans for the new school year

Students won’t be going to classes this fall in the public schools. Instead, students will be learning from home, but for those with special needs, or resources, the school buildings will be open. File photo

By Charles Sercombe
This fall’s return to school will look pretty much like last spring: For the most part students will be learning from home.
Recently, the school board held a Zoom meeting to discuss how to go forward with this school year, with the coronavirus pandemic still surging across the country.
While the plan is still a work in motion, and details will be provided sometime in August, the district is planning a hybrid of remote virtual learning, and offer in-person support for students.
The recreation center will remain closed.
Fall sports will be taking place.
You can read the full report from Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed on the plan to begin the school year in the editorial section of this website.
At the Zoom meeting, teachers were especially adamant about not returning to classroom learning.
“Classrooms are not safe to return to,” said art teacher Emily Finan.
Another teacher stressed that “the risks outweigh the benefits at this point.”
Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed noted that the district has a number of things working against going back to teaching full-time in classrooms.
The biggest vulnerability is that 48 percent of the district’s families are low-income, which has proved to make them more at high-risk for contacting the virus.
“One life lost is too many,” Ahmed said.
While buildings will be open for students, Ahmed said she will take extra steps to make sure the surfaces are sanitized.
Posted July 31, 2020