Acton-Boxborough Schools Are Working Out Student Return Timeline

ACTON, MA — A new Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education plan was announced on Tuesday that could require elementary students to return to in-person learning full time — Acton-Boxborough School District officials said they're eager to hear more.

The district has been taking steps to find a feasible way to bring all students back to school. Superintendent Peter Light said school officials first heard about the commissioners plan in the news, and is hopeful that more information will be given to superintendents.

Light said the district's goal is to have a rough return timeline ready over the next week and to have more information from the state to help inform the decisions.

Education department Commissioner Jeff Riley said he plans to ask the state education board to amend regulations to give him the authority to determine when the hybrid and remote learning models no longer count for learning hours. It would all be part of a plan to bring students back in-person by the spring, using a phased approach, starting with the youngest students.

Light said district officials are looking at ways to work with the usable space in the schools to safely bring students back:

"We learned of the Commissioner's remarks from the news today as did many of our families and we are eager to learn more from the Commissioner and DESE. I am hopeful that the state will share more information with Superintendent's in the coming days so that we, in turn, can share that information with educators and families. It is our priority to find ways to bring more students back to our schools. To that end, our leadership team has been working on plans to continue to reopen schools."

Light said the district is assessing:

• Classrooms' capacity to hold both hybrid cohorts of students at a minimum of 3' distance
• Furniture needs to be able to meet minimum distancing guidelines of 3'
• Lunch options that will require students to remain 6' apart per state guidance (this guidance is not changing)
• Updated transportation routes
• Special education service delivery schedules