Braintree Schools Expanding Live Classes Next Week

Braintree MA

26 January, 2021

4:47 PM

Description

BRAINTREE, MA — Students enrolled in Braintree Public Schools will get more live instruction, beginning next week. And some of that learning will be in-person, school officials said at Monday's school committee meeting. Starting Monday, Feb. 1, middle and high school students will join elementary students in attending classes four days per week. Superintendent Frank Hackett said middle school students will be divided into two groups. One cohort will attend classes in the morning, while the other attends in the afternoon. And although Wednesdays will remain remote, Hackett said there will still be synchronous instruction on Wednesdays, so middle schools students will attend five of their six classes each day for 50 minutes. At the high school, cohorts will be eliminated, according to the school committee's plan. Hackett said 6 feet of social distancing will still be the standard necessary for this plan to work amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Hackett, the plan provides live instruction for classes regardless of if the student is enrolled in the hybrid or fully remote plan. Remote-only students will join the in-person class and learn via Google Meets. Wednesdays will be remote for all high school students — synchronous in the morning and asynchronous in the afternoon. The changes to live learning at Braintree schools were needed to meet new regulations approved last month by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Starting Jan. 18, state officials began requiring schools to have at least 35 hours of live instruction every two weeks. School Committee Chair Tom Devin said the district was granted a two-week extension to get under compliance. Parents' FrustrationsParents voiced frustrations with the lack of in-person learning half-way through the school year. Several parents called for answers on how special education will be handled under the new plan, while others wondered if even more in-person learning could be given than the increase offered in the new plan. "Is that really the best we can do?" parent John Fabiano asked. "I just want to confirm, once all the teachers are offered vaccines, can the kids just go back full time, or what other conditions are we waiting for?" Hackett said bus drivers, as well as teachers would have to be vaccinated for COVID-19. School bus capacity, which is limited by social distancing would also have to be solved. But Hackett said once these issues are resolved, "the conversation of returning to a full school schedule would absolutely be on the table." Other parents said the latest school reopening plan failed to answer questions about how students enrolled in special education will be accommodated. "You should be fighting for these kids to be in school longer," parent Krista Stapelton said. "You should be fighting for these kids to be getting the services they need every day, and that's not happening." Hackett told parents schedules are being handled at the individual school level, and parents, including those with children enrolled in special education will have details this week. Parent Michelle Dinnion also said she was hoping for more information regarding special education during the meeting. "We've had to hire an outside tutor to come to my house 16 hours a week," she said. "I need to know my daughter is going to continue to get in-person resources." Devin added that no district has a perfect solution to reopening schools. He said the committee is doing the best it can. "People have to realize there is not a person on this school committee that has liked the options we have had to put forth," Devin said. "They all have their weaknesses."