Marlborough Eyes 'Hybrid' Model For Fall School Reopening

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough Superintendent Michael Bergeron is recommending that city schools reopen this fall under a "hybrid" model, where students attend a mix of online and in-person classes. The plan is meant to balance learning with the need to protect students and staff from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Like every other school district in the state, Marlborough is under a July 31 deadline to submit fall reopening plans to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each district must submit plans for a full reopening, a hybrid reopening, and an all-remote reopening.

Under Bergeron's hybrid plan, most traditional students would spend 50 percent of their time outside of school buildings. However, students in special education groups would return full-time to classrooms. The ultimate goal will be to get students back into the classroom full-time.

"If we look at this from our educational equity lens, we're intentionally providing more time, more resources, more effort and more energy to groups of students who have traditionally and historically received far less than they deserve, and our hybrid model is doing exactly that," Bergeron said during a Tuesday night presentation before the school committee.

In recent weeks, Marlborough surveyed parents about their preference for the fall. Out of about 1,900 parents who responded, the hybrid model and a full return to in-person learning were virtually tied. The least preferred option was all-remote model at about 29 percent in favor.

A majority of parents, just under 70 percent, said they wanted to send their children back to school this year. The remaining 30 percent said they would want to keep their children home.

You can view Bergeron's full school reopening presentation here.