'We're Not Ending Here:' Melrose Ramps Up Full-Time School Return

MELROSE, MA — The district will begin bringing back targeted students full-time next week, a key move in its effort to bring back all students whose families want them in class full-time by June, Superintendent Julie Kukenberger told Patch in a call outlining the steps being taken to dramatically expand access to in-person learning.

The goal, she said, is to bring every willing student back to class in a full-time capacity before the school year is over. And Melrose Public Schools isn't waiting on further state guidance, as it's been slowly increasing in-person learning options the past several weeks.

That effort is hitting another gear in March. Kukenberger said she expects hundreds more students back in class on a full-time basis by the end of the month.

"We're not ending here," a determined Kukenberger said. "We're going to continue to work until all students who are able to come back for in-person learning have that opportunity."

The district has started by identifying students it feels most need to be back in class on a full-time basis. Decisions about who is brought back when are being made with equity at the forefront, Kukenberger said.

An undetermined number of elementary school students will be attending both cohorts beginning Monday, March 8, and the same could be true of some middle school students as early as Monday.

The students would attend both cohorts, being in class every day for the first time in a year.

Work is also underway to expand capacity in preschool classes, while dozens of high school students have been invited to learning labs during what would be their at-home weeks.

The district is trying to maximize every inch of capacity while still adhering to 6 feet between everyone in a classroom. That could eventually move to 3 feet of distance, but that will take more evidence, working alongside teachers who have been hesitant to return and possibly new safety protocols.

Kukenberger said she expects the state to give additional guidance by early April on bringing more students back to school. The district isn't waiting on it.

"We now have months of data right here with our Melrose students in Melrose schools, which gives us the confidence to bring more students back," she said.

A state-backed pool testing program is the latest confidence booster. The program has tested 136 pool samples of in-person students and staff in the district as of the end of last week, and none have come back positive. About a third of eligible students and staff have consented to testing.

The district has been slowly expanding in-person access for weeks now, with a focus on students in the hybrid learning model but also considering students in the Melrose Distance Learning Academy.

In February middle school students started traveling to their electives and some targeted high school students were brought to learning labs.

Elementary schools will go back to in-person gym next week, with in-person art and music two weeks later. By April, the digital literacy and library media programs will be in-person again.

"We'll be able to implement these things and assess our progress, our data, and notice if we see any change in the positive [test] rates," Kukenberger said.

Principals are combing over classroom space to find out where they can safely increase capacity.

Preschool classes have been spaced out for 10 students, but that could soon be bumped to 12. Kindergarten classes will likewise have as many kids as safely possible.

Elementary classroom capacity will vary, but some are expected to get up to 18 students. "Where we can get 18 seats 6 feet apart, we're getting 18 students," Kukenberger said.

There are additional space challenges at the middle school, where larger class sizes are already maxed out in many instances.

High school is even trickier, Kukenberger said, because most students don't have the exact same schedule as another student. The leadership staff there will be working with the senior class to identify what the students are prioritizing as they head off to internship assignments and wind down their high school career.

With coronavirus cases falling and vaccinations increasing, what was once hard to fathom now looks more like a possible reality.

"When we started this whole thing, we put pen to paper knowing that the ultimate goal was returning to full in-person instruction for all students," Kukenberger said. "Getting our employees vaccinated would certainly support the process of bringing more students and staff in-person."

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.