Grafton schools adopt hybrid model for fall, masks mandated
Grafton schools will adopt a “hybrid” model for at least the first semester this fall, with students alternating weeks of in-person school and online learning.
The School Committee Tuesday approved the plan, which also offers a full-time online option (Remote Learning Academy) for parents who want to opt-out of in-school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first day of school for all options will be September 16.
Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings said the online options will be “more robust” than the lessons offered this past spring, when the unexpected statewide pandemic lockdown had schools scrambling to concoct an online learning environment in just one week.
The full plan (the gallery above is not the entire plan) has been emailed to all parents. A survey will go out to parents on Sunday, due back August 16, asking if they prefer the hybrid model or Remote Learning Academy for their children in the fall. Two online community meetings will be offered next week (dates unavailable), along with two separate meetings devoted to special education.
Precautions for in-person learning:
- Each bus will have a monitor who will make sure students wear masks, monitor students for illness, and report any student displaying symptoms to the nurse immediately.
- All students will be required to wear masks covering the mouth and nose in the classrooms and hallways, except during designated mask breaks. If a student does not bring a mask from home, one will be provided for them.
- All staff must wear masks covering the mouth and nose. Staff will be provided with a mask and face shield.
- Desks will be arranged at least three feet apart and facing in the same direction in classrooms.
- Other spaces in the schools, such as the cafeterias, will be utilized for class space when available to increase social distancing.
Grafton, along with other school districts statewide, has until August 10 to submit three fall plans to DESE: an option for all students to attend school with social distancing, a hybrid model in which students attend school one week and attend remotely the next, and an all-remote option. DESE will issue its recommendations on August 11.
