Preliminary School Reopening Plan Summary

PRELIMINARY SCHOOL REOPENING PLAN SUMMARY

On June 25, 2020, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released initial guidance for school reopening that prioritizes getting students and staff safely back to school in person, following a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements. Through this guidance, DESE required schools to create a plan that includes three models: 1) in-person learning with new safety requirements; 2) a hybrid of in-person and remote learning; and 3) remote learning.

The reopening approach is built on a thorough review of current medical and scientific literature and was developed after extensive consultation with medical professionals from Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center’s Medical Advisory Board, and others. Based on the current public health data and COVID-19 trends in Massachusetts, the medical community supports the return of Massachusetts students to in-person learning, with appropriate health and safety guidelines in place.

This submission form is Step 1, due on or before July 31, 2020.

This online form consists of the following sections:

Part I asks for the district's contact information, key findings from the district's feasibility study on in-person learning, and districts’ preliminary thinking about which of the three reopening models it may use to open the school year this fall.
Part II asks districts to provide a brief description of each of the three reopening models districts have been asked to develop: 1) in-person learning with new safety requirements; 2) hybrid learning, and 3) remote learning. Each model must include support for High Needs students (defined as students who belong to one or more of the following groups: students with disabilities, current or former English learners, and/or economically disadvantaged students).