Published September 2, 2020
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — It’s all systems go.
The School Committee and the Lynnfield Teachers Association (LTA) reached an agreement on Aug. 27 that will allow the district’s proposed hybrid reopening plan with a remote option to move forward once the 2020-2021 academic year begins on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
“We are very pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Lynnfield Teachers Association to begin the year in a hybrid form,” said School Committee Chairman Jamie Hayman.
Superintendent Kristen Vogel thanked the LTA for “their partnership in this process.”
“This was my first time doing any type of bargaining,” said Vogel. “You were very patient and kind. It was a great team to work with.”
LTA President Lorie Kelly echoed Hayman and Vogel’s sentiment.
“We affirm the plan with full support,” said Kelly. “Thank you for the partnership and working this out, and the open discussions during the whole process.”
Vogel gave an overview of the agreement with the LTA to the School Committee. She recalled that the hybrid reopening plan calls for separating students into four different cohorts. Cohort A students, which includes identified special education students and English language learners, will be in school four days a week and will be participating in remote learning one day a week. She said students in Cohort B, which will be called the “Blue Cohort,” will attend school on Mondays and Tuesdays. Vogel said Cohort C students, now called the “Gold Cohort,” will be in school on Thursdays and Fridays.
“Wednesday will be a full-day for students that will be remote,” said Vogel. “It will be a balance of synchronous and asynchronous learning.”
Vogel said Cohort D students will be learning remotely.
“Parents have the option of having their children be 100 percent remote,” said Vogel. “If you choose to be 100 percent remote, your child will be on a class roster and will have the opportunity to use Zoom or engage with a teacher in different formats whether it be synchronous or asynchronous during the school day. They will follow a schedule.”
Vogel acknowledged the hybrid plan creates childcare challenges for families. In order to provide support to families, she said Lynnfield Community Schools Director Sarah Perkins has created a program for students in grades K-6 that will be located at the Senior Center, which is currently closed to the public.
“This program would run Monday through Friday during school hours,” said Vogel. “We will be following very strict safety guidelines. There will be no more than 10 students in a group with one or two adults. We are going to make every effort to group them in cohorts by grade level so they can do their schoolwork on those remote days. It will be a very supportive environment, and the Senior Center provides a wonderful place to do that.”
Vogel also noted students enrolled in the new Community Schools program will be able to get outside and use the playground near Central Office.
“We believe this will provide relief to some of our working families,” said Vogel.
In response to a question from School Committee member Phil McQueen, Vogel said the Community Schools program will be able to enroll 80 students each day.
Hayman thanked Perkins for developing the childcare program for students. He also thanked the Senior Center, the Friends of the Lynnfield Senior Center and the Council on Aging Board for Directors for allowing students to use the building.
“We are guests in their house while this is going on,” said Hayman. “Their building is closed for the safety of seniors because we know seniors have a higher risk for coronavirus. But that does not mean programming is not happening. They are putting out 70 lunches a day for seniors and they have activities being done remotely. Let’s continue to support them as they are supporting us as a community.”
School Committee Vice Chairman Rich Sjoberg, who also serves on the COA Board of Directors, said the Senior Center has been going above and beyond for local seniors. He thanked Director Linda Naccara, the Senior Center’s staff and his fellow COA Board members for allowing LCS to use the building.
“Lynnfield is the special place that it is because we do things like this,” said Sjoberg.
Hayman noted the number of COVID-19 cases in town will dictate whether the hybrid plan continues. He said Health Director Kristin McRae will be closely monitoring the plan, and said teachers will be weighing in on how it is working. He also said school officials want to receive feedback from parents.
Vogel said the plan will be reviewed every four weeks, with the first “benchmark” set as Monday, Oct. 19.
“We have never had to open school in this fashion,” said Vogel. “The way the teachers are planning is taking a tremendous amount of work. I want to recognize that and I want to thank them for that. But I also want parents to know that they need to be patient and need to be flexible. This is not going to be perfect and there are going to be glitches. The teachers are learning and so are the students. We want to hear feedback so that we get better. I know that we will.”
McQueen also urged parents to be patient with the hybrid plan.
“For every single teacher, this is going to be their first year teaching,” said McQueen. “This is new for everybody. This is new for the students and is new for the teachers, including people who have been teaching for 20-odd years like I have. It is going to be very different so please bear with us.”
Vogel said public health metrics will determine whether more in-person learning days are added to the plan or whether students go back to remote learning.
“That will depend on the Department of Public Health and the governor’s office,” said Vogel. “We will certainly be paying attention to that and understand that things are moving and changing quickly. In terms of a shift to full in-person learning, that will depend on where the governor has us moving in terms of Phase 3 of reopening and what is happening across the commonwealth with the virus. The same is true if we have to pivot to remote learning.”
Hayman said students, teachers and administrators need parent support in order for the plan to work. He said parents need to make sure younger students are getting the support they need during remote learning days. He also said parents need to make sure older students are completing their schoolwork.
“This is meant to be a learning environment for those who are remote on certain days and is a learning environment from your house,” said Hayman. “Attendance will be taken. Our intention is to make this feel like a school year. I remain optimistic that we can use this as a stepping stone to more in-person learning and ultimately a return to the classroom.”
Hayman thanked the LTA for working with school officials in order to finalize the pact. He said Kelly and the entire bargaining team “were fabulous to work with” during the process.
“Lynnfield teachers are what makes this district great,” said Hayman. “If you look at www.niche.com, it ranks our teachers in the .9 percent of teachers in the entire country. We appreciate that and respect that. Their willingness to engage with a shared goal set around the education and safety of students, faculty and staff was very much appreciated. It made these conversations really productive.”
Hayman also thanked Vogel and Teaching and Learning Director Kevin Cyr for leading the negotiations with the LTA. He thanked the Administrative Leadership Team for working to get the schools ready for students and educators’ return. He thanked Educational Technology Director Stephanie Hoban for making sure students and teachers have access to the technology they need “to make the plan work.”
In addition to thanking school officials, Hayman also thanked McRae, Town Administrator Rob Dolan, DPW Director John Tomasz, Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Glenn Davis, Police Chief David Breen, Lynnfield Media Studios Executive Director Eric Hamlin and the Board of Selectmen for their support during the process.
“This was an entire town and team effort to move forward,” said Hayman.
Vogel said school officials will be sending out more information about the reopening plan to families in the near future.
After the discussion, the School Committee unanimously approved the pact with the LTA.
“We are excited to get back,” said Hayman.
