Published in the May 5, 2020 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — Wakefield school administrators provided an update last week on the district’s “Learn Anywhere” remote learning program that has been in place since the schools closed on March 13 due to the statewide COVID-19 shutdown.

School Superintendent Douglas Lyons told the School Committee last Tuesday that a top priority for the administrative team was to create safe spaces to make students and families feel secure. Part of this effort includes encouraging students to participate and engage. Meanwhile teachers are working to make sure students feel safe physically and emotionally and have everything that they need to function during the closure, such as food, technology and resources.

Lyons talked about the WPS Meal Plan and the fact that the schools have been averaging feeding more than 80 students per week during the closure. The schools continue their relationship with the Wakefield Food Pantry, advocating for donations and directing families in need to access this community support service. The schools have also been participating in the Cards for the Community program, whereby donated funds are used to purchase gift cards for local food establishments, which are then distributed to families in need.

A fundamental component to remote learning is access to technology, Lyons said. As of April 17, 2020, the district has distributed over 50 Chromebooks to students and families in need. A Central Office pick-up system has been created.

“We have prioritized funds in our local budget and grants to account for an increased need for technology to support our students, staff and families during the extended closure,” Lyons said.

Assistant Superintendent Kara Mauro said that another challenge has been shifting from Learn Anywhere as a short-term measure used primarily on snow days to implementing distance learning as a long-term emergency response. That has involved establishing updated working expectations for remote learning in the form of a Memorandum of Undersatnding between the School Committee and the Wakefield Education Association (the teachers’ union). Surveys have also been done to obtain feedback on ways to improve the Learn Anywhere program.

Special Education Director Lyn O’Neill said that instructional support staff has been trained on roles and responsibilities for the extended closure, and staff and service contractors have been providing services to students where possible. She also said that special education staff has been in contact with parents to gather feedback on how things are working.

There was some discussion of adjustments made to curriculum and instruction at all levels.

Administrators also discussed next steps with the School Committee, in terms of continuing to create learning opportunities for all students.

There are plans to communicate a credit/grade system to offer recognition to students for their effort and participation during the closure as well as ways to support students with less participation.

Plans are in the works to establish support for students when the closure ends. Planning and brainstorming is also underway to create safe ways to conduct essential end of year activities.

————

Lyons also updated the School Committee on budgetary matters in light of the shutdown. He noted that the town faces significant funding shortfalls for FY 2021 due to losses of revenue from local taxes and expected cuts in state aid. He said that the School Department is trying to save as much money as it can now in hopes of lessening the impact on next year’s budget. But he acknowledged that adjustments will need to be made in the School Department’s FY 2021 budget.

He said that as the the schools close out accounts for FY 2020, they are looking at ways to handle refunds for fees that families have paid for the Doyle early Childhood Center, spring sports and other activities. They are considering issuing refunds, offering credits or allowing families to donate their fees to families in need.

Wakefield Memorial High School principal Amy McLeod has met with senior class officers, Lyons said, acknowledging the emotional impact over the loss of milestone events due to the shutdown. Lyons said that efforts are underway to come up with options that will work under the current circumstances.

Lyons said that the administration and staff were starting to think about what a return to school will look like and coming up with a few different plans. He noted that students will have lost a total of 61 days of in-class education by the official end of the current school year.

“Because students are not ending where they would have,” Lyons said, “we will need to start in the fall in a different place.”

Lyons reported that the School Department and the teachers’ union had agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding to cover how business is conducted during school closure.

The superintendent said that plans are being worked out that will allow students to clean out their lockers and get their belongings before the summer.