Beverly School Board Reluctant To Send Kids, Staff Back To School

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly school committee members signaled they were reluctant to students, teachers and staff back to school for face-to-face classes this fall.

"The risk of losing someone, a student or a teacher, is just far too great," Ward 2 school committee member Kelley Ferretti said during the school committee's virtual meeting Thursday.

School officials have been working on three plans to reopen schools this fall: one that would involved students returning to school full-time, one that would mix in-person and remote learning, and a third option that would be entirely online. The school committee plans to make a final decision on which plan to use at the start of the school year on Aug. 6.

Superintendent Suzanne Charochak said a survey of parents found that 72 percent would send their kids back to school five days per week if that option is available. While that is possible at the elementary school level, the school system would not be able to maintain the required three-foot social distancing rule in the middle and high schools.

School Committee President Rachael Abell signaled she may vote for a return of face-to-face instruction after she and other committee members toured school buildings. "We need to look at what our community is asking for," Abell said. "we can return to school at some model."

But committee member John Mullady said he was unlikely to vote for a reopening of schools when the school committee is still holding its meetings remotely. "I can't make somebody go into a dangerous environment," Ward 6 member Lorinda Visnick said.

Dave Copeland covers Beverly and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).