Published March 12, 2021

MELROSE — Over 800 kids returned to their local school buildings Monday on a full five-day week, every week, schedule for the first time in a year. That number will continue to increase as both the city and its school system slowly begin to rebound from the devastating impact of COVID-19.

The full-time, in-person return to Melrose public school classrooms began March 8 with expanded access to all hybrid kindergarteners and many elementary school students based on individual students needs and available space. In some cases, however, students with the highest needs have been instructed in class since the school year belatedly began around the middle of September.

State Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley laid out a timeline for when all schools in the state will be required to return to full-time, in-person learning. Elementary school students go back Monday, April 5 and middle schoolers return towards the end of that month.

Details and timing for returning students to high schools across the state will be announced in April.

Melrose Supt. of Schools Dr. Julie Kukenberger updated families this week on what will be happening in the weeks ahead.

In a memo she wrote, in part:

“We will be prepared for a full return to in-person learning for all K-5 students on April 5. The MVMMS and MHS timelines will be determined in the coming days, and we will continue to use a needs-based approach to request a full return to in-person learning for individual students. We are eager and excited to welcome all MPS students who are ready to return to a full in-person learning model. We have developed thoughtful and strategic plans to expand access to in-person learning and support.

“We will return to full in-person learning this school year so long as the number of COVID-19 positive cases continues to trend downward. We are hopeful that all of our MPS employees will have success in securing a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. I have been advocating for weeks and hope that there are convenient (evenings and weekends) vaccination appointments available to school employees. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to share tips and tools for getting a COVID-19 vaccine. I am saddened that this is the reality for our public school employees. However, I remain hopeful that the State will distribute the vaccine to local health departments. If and when that happens, I am confident that the Melrose Health Department is ready, willing, and able to quickly vaccinate all staff as they did with our first responders.

“Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley gained authority on Friday, March 5 to require districts across the state to bring students back into classrooms full time. Over the coming days, we will process the implications of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) decision and await guidance and mandates. In Melrose, we already have started implementing a comprehensive plan that will enable us to meet the April 5 expectation to return all of our elementary students to full in-person learning, while also taking several other incremental steps at the middle school and high school to ensure that student well-being and academic needs are supported.”

Expanding access to

in-person learning and support

Kukenberger continues, “Since the start of the school year, MPS has incrementally expanded access to in-person learning and support for small groups of students based on need and individual program offerings. In fact, today, March 8, marks our third ‘first day’ of the year as MPS educators, principals, and support staff welcomed more than 800 students from preschool through high school, back to full in-person instruction.

“I acknowledge that this may not seem like enough for some students and families, particularly if your child is not yet back to full in-person learning. Please know that this is a transitional step. Our immediate goal is to increase the number of students learning in-person while maintaining six feet of physical distance. This transitional step will allow us to monitor the effectiveness of our protocols and procedures with many more students in the building before we transition to less physical distance. Looking ahead, we still have many challenges that will require us to lead with courage and creativity. We will maintain our focus on:

• Supporting the health and wellbeing of all students and staff

• Meeting the social and emotional needs of our students and staff

• Ensuring all students experience success through equity and access, and

• Delivering excellence in teaching and learning with high-quality instruction and support.

“Monitoring student progress and growth is routine for MPS educators. Over the past several weeks, teachers and principals have been analyzing student progress and performance data. A systematic approach was implemented to assess the academic, social, emotional, mental, physical, and general life or well-being needs of each student as our educators and principals worked to get as many students back to full in-person learning as possible. Please know that we are not done. We will get all learners who are ready to return back to school in the coming weeks. It may need to look different than expected, but we are committed to doing whatever it takes to return to full in-person learning.

“To that end, we have been developing a plan to expand access to in-person learning and support for each student based on their unique needs…We are very aware of the limitations that each facility poses in terms of our ability to return all students to full in-person learning at this time. However, the one thing I have seen and heard consistently in all of our schools are teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, food service workers, transportation staff, directors, principals, and assistant superintendents advocating to get our students back to school.

“With that being said, we cannot forget that we are still living amidst a global pandemic. We must be mindful that although we may all be weathering the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. We are all experiencing this pandemic and the implications of this pandemic in unique and very personal ways. Please know, we are working to get our kids back and want nothing more than to have all of our students in school, every day. We just need to be thoughtful. Maintaining six feet of physical distance is a strategic decision. Not because we don’t believe the experts or think we know better, rather because we want all of our students and staff to be successful. Over the next four weeks, we will continue to provide COVID-19 surveillance testing through our two MPS COVID-19 Pooled testing programs while maintaining our multipronged risk mitigation strategy.”