Chelmsford Schools Move Toward Increasing In-Person Learning

CHELMSFORD, MA — Chelmsford schools will increase learning opportunities starting March 24. It's the first part of the district's tiered approach to phase out hybrid learning, the school committee voted Tuesday night.

It comes a week after the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education announced initial plans to adjust learning hours and effectively speed up a return to in person education across the state beginning in April, starting with elementary schools.

"What I've garnered from it, we realize we have to start making these plans for a return to school, there is a way that is logical for Chelmsford to start phasing back in more in person learning. We've been successful throughout the fall," Superintendent Jay Lang said Tuesday to the school committee.

Read more>> MA Education Chief Wants To Bring Students Back To Classroom ASAP

Lang presented a plan to the school committee that he said thought would put the district in the right direction, while stressing DESE has not finalized or voted on or articulated details to exemptions related to a full return to in person learning.

He said during a phone call with the state this week he learned a bit more about the plan.

"What it would mean from our standpoint is; they would be disqualifying — if this is passed — our hybrid learning days, they wouldn't count toward [learning] time." Lang said. "He's basically saying as.a DESE regulation you have to have a full in person, five day a week program to qualify as an academic learning day. The threat from DESE would be if you don't comply then you don't qualify for a learning day, and we're not going to provide funding for that day of non instruction, this is early on... They're talking about not providing chapter 70 funding, making you ineligible for grants, things along those lines."

Lang said the DESE board meeting on Friday should help shed more light on expectations.

Lang said he wanted the district to have a remote option through the end of the year while introducing five days of in person learning before the end of the school year.

It wouldn't mean adding the entire student population back all five days, because of space constraints, "but it would be a big statement that we're going in the right direction," he said.

Once staff was vaccinated, he said, he anticipated conversations about how to make modifications to rooms to be able to take more students in to come back to school more fully.

Although DESE and the World Health Organization have said 3-feet of distancing between desks is sufficient, on average classrooms can accommodate 10 to 12 student desks adhering to the 6-foot spacing guideline, which is about half of the student body for in person learning each day, he said.

"Unless and until the 6-foot spacing guideline is reduced, we cannot accommodate a full return to in-person learning," Lang said.

Special populations, such as the Life Skills and the autism program at the high school have already been attending school in person four full days and a half day either in person or remote on Wednesdays.

The school committee voted to begin Phase 1, and increase learning opportunities starting on March 24. A move to Phase 2 will be discussed sometime in early April, according to Lang. Phase 3 wouldn't happen until after April vacation, vaccine permitting and would involve a reduction from the 6 feet, he said.

"We really do not have many seats at all [right now]," said Lang. "Staffing is an issue for us."

Other issues that the district will tackle next include what to do about lunch, and its agreement with the teachers union, whether to open the gym, cafeteria or library to use as classroom space to get more students into the building and a shortage of teachers.

Wednesday the state announced it was heading President Joe Biden's call to prioritize vaccinating teachers.

Watch the full Chelmsford School Committee meeting, thanks to CTM below: