Most parents of Boston Public Schools students favor a mix of in-person and online instruction for the upcoming school year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, according to a survey.
At a virtual fall-reopening community meeting on Saturday, Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said that of the 9,751 parents and guardians who responded to a survey sent to the families of the district’s 53,000 students, 40% said they wanted a “blended” model, 28% said they wanted in-person instruction, and 23% said the district should continue the online-only lessons offered since schools shut down earlier this year due to COVID-19.
“We all know the best place for children is to be back in school, but our top priority is going to be safety,” Cassellius said. “This unfortunate virus I believe is going to be with us for some time.”
District officials are completing a plan for each of the three scenarios, as required by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The final decision will be made by Aug. 10 — a month before school begins — by Cassellius, Mayor Martin Walsh and Marty Martinez, the city’s chief of health and human services.
In the meantime, she said, she will continue outreach to students, families, faculty and staff.
The district already is hiring more nurses and has ordered personal protective equipment, including masks, which will be required for everyone if officials choose to have some in-school instruction, she said. Students and teachers also will be required to keep at least six feet apart.
Parents will be asked to take their children’s temperature before they leave for school in the morning, Cassellius said, and students who take the bus to school will be spread out.
Once they arrive at school, they’ll be given hand sanitizer throughout the day, she said, and their lockers will already have been spaced out and disinfected.
Guides will ensure social distancing in hallways, Cassellius said, and students will wash their hands frequently and eat in their classrooms to prevent crowds in lunchrooms.
If the district has some students attend school on some days and have remote learning on others, she said, the district will have siblings come to school on the same days.
Senior advisor Tammy Pust said the district also is working on having “mobile testing.”
But parents will be able to opt their children out of in-person learning if they wish, Cassellius said.
Peberly Lawler said her 5-year-old son has trouble keeping his mask on and washing his hands. But the superintendent reassured her.
“We’ll continue to teach kids to hand wash,” Cassellius said. “We do not want this to be a punitive environment at all. We will be gentle.”
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Survey: Most BPS parents want mix of in-person and remote learning in the fall - Boston Herald
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