A look back at the last 6 months leading up to school reopening and how it’s frustrated many teachers

BOSTON — If you thought the debate over in-person vs remote learning would die down once the school year started, think again.

State education officials sent letters to leaders in 16 communities Friday including Amesbury, Belmont, and Watertown asking why students were not returning to classrooms and gave them 10 days to respond. Each community is considered a lower risk for COVID-19 transmission.

Each of the districts did what the state told them over the summer, and picked the learning model which worked best for their community, so why is the state questioning those decisions now?

“Every time the commissioner comes out with a new set of guidelines it just causes chaos,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association president Merrie Najimy. “It’s too little too late, and completely inadequate. We are seeing now a day before schools open, some of them have to close because of a resurgence in their town, so we need stability from the beginning and time to thoughtfully solve all of the environmental and safety problems that exist.”

Let’s rewind to remind you exactly how we got here and why the president of the MTA is so frustrated.

March 15: Governor Charlie Baker announces a three-week suspension of in-person learning at elementary and secondary schools starting March 17. This was later extended through the end of the school year.
March 26 and April 24: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued remote learning recommendations.
June 5: DESE issued guidance on safety supplies schools would need for reopening.
June 25: DESE issued initial school reopening guidance. The guidance prioritizes the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings, to maximize learning and address our students' holistic needs.
July 15: DESE announced the two-step process for districts to submit their reopening plans. Preliminary plans were due July 31, and final reopening plans were due Aug. 14.
July 17: DESE issued protocols for responding to COVID-19 scenarios, which has been updated as needed.
July 22: DESE issued transportation and facilities guidance.
July 27: DESE announced additional staff training days for the fall.
July 31: Deadline for districts to submit preliminary reopening plans to the state. DESE reviewed plans and gave districts feedback.
August 11: DESE issued guidance on using the Department of Public Health metrics, which had just been introduced.
August 14: Deadline for districts to submit their final reopening plans.
September 16: Deadline for students to start the school year, following the extra days of teacher training.

“We would certainly hope that based on this data if you are in a green or white community, I can’t imagine a reason not to go back whether it is full time or some sort of hybrid,” Gov. Baker said on August 11.

Now, the state says those schools not returning to in-person learning should have a good reason.

“We may be doing some audits on some of those districts if we feel like they continue to be misaligned and if they are not doing what’s best for the kids,” said Jeffrey C. Riley, the commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Still some teachers feel this is just a bully tactic.

“Transmission rates in any one community are irrelevant because schools employ educators and staff from many different surrounding communities,” said Najimy. “It is naïve to think the virus will not travel.”

Najimy says some districts have a good reason to stay remote, including further planning, a need for more school building cleaning, figuring out busing plans, or the school’s budget.

Still, from the state’s perspective, it’s not just about getting kids back into the classroom. The commissioner says his regulations cut both ways because some districts were planning to open in August but they had gone red for three weeks. In those cases, the state advises those districts to go remote.

A look back at the last 6 months leading up to school reopening and how it’s frustrated many teachers

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