Methuen eyes April return to in-person learning

Bill Kirk, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Mar. 2—METHUEN — School Superintendent Brandi Kwong said the district will try to abide by state guidelines that, if approved, would require in-person learning for all students in kindergarten through grade five starting next month.

In her weekly email to parents, Kwong wrote that after meeting last Thursday with Mayor Neil Perry, the head school nurse and the health director, she said she would present a plan to the School Committee on March 22 that would increase in-person learning for most students.

"If approved, we anticipate any changes to go into effect the first week of April," she said. "Changes may include modifications to operational procedures, schedule changes to provide more in-person learning time for students, and exploring the reintroduction of additional in-person after school programming/activities."

She noted that on Feb. 23 Commissioner of Education Jeff Riley announced that he is seeking authority from the state Board of Education in the coming weeks to determine when the hybrid and remote models of learning will cease.

She said the commissioner sent a letter to superintendents last Tuesday afternoon saying, "If granted this authority, I will pursue a phased approach to returning students to the classroom, working closely with state health officials and medical experts.

"Ideally, my initial goal is to bring all elementary school students back to in-person learning five days a week this April. Parents will still have the option for their children to learn remotely through the end of the school year. There will also be a waiver process for districts who may need to take a more incremental approach (for instance, to first move to a robust hybrid model if they are currently fully remote)."

Kwong noted that the district "has already begun working on plans for more in-person time. ... During our planning, we are mindful of space constraints (minimum of 3 feet distance in classrooms required) and how we will safely manage unmasked times, such as snack and lunch times.

"We are also reviewing our current remote and hybrid staffing. We expect to receive more guidance and possibly regulatory decisions from the state in the next couple of weeks."

In the meantime, she said, the district "will continue all grades in the hybrid model the week of March 1."

She noted that school-based positive cases continue to decrease significantly while community numbers also continue to decline.

"We know that our students need to be in school for academic and social-emotional reasons," she said, advising people to always "wear a mask, maintain social distance when you are outside of your home, and avoid large gatherings."