School Reopening Update 8-26-2020

Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff, 

During the Tuesday, August 18th, School Committee Meeting (https://youtu.be/xDKkf7xOc3Y), I made a number of recommendations regarding school reopening.  I want to take this opportunity to reiterate and expand upon my recommendations. 

School Reopening Recommendations

Districts in the state have begun to announce a return to school under full Distance Learning as well as a variety of other models.  At this time, we firmly believe that some in-person learning is preferable to none.  At Tuesday’s School Committee Meeting, I recommended to the North Smithfield Schools that we conduct a “soft” reopening under the Hybrid Model for all students in PK-12. 

• A full Distance Learning option will be available for students with pre-existing medical conditions and for families who choose it.
  
• Students attend school on a Hybrid Schedule: 2 days in person, 3 days Distance Learning.
  
• Monday is a Distance Learning day for all students with weekly planning and individualized or small group instruction/academic assistance.
  
  • Student Cohort 1 (A-L) - Tues/Wed in person, Thurs/Fri Distance Learning.
    
  • Student Cohort 2 (M-Z) - Tues/Wed Distance Learning, Thurs/Fri in-person.
    
  • Students with different last names within a household can be part of the same Cohort
    
• Pre-Kindergarten special education/peer model students and students in self-contained special education classrooms may attend classes full-in person 4 days to week (even during the Hybrid Model phase-in) with a goal of attending 5 days per week.
  

With an anticipated 20% of our students choosing a full Distance Learning option and with 40% of our students in person between Tuesday - Friday we can:

• Better ensure transportation to students who need to ride the bus as the bus capacity is capped at 36 students.
  
• Maintain 6 feet of social distancing within classrooms.
  
• Better manage breakfast and lunch services within reduced-occupancy cafeterias.
  
• Better manage arrival and dismissals, passing times, bathroom breaks, and other group coordinated activities. 
  

Under a full reopening model, at this time, we cannot guarantee that everyone who needs a seat on the bus will have a seat. Under a full reopening model, we cannot maintain 6 feet of social distancing in classrooms, students will sit in rows with masks on, facing forward, with limited movement and conversation. 

We want the schools to be open and social, less restrictive and prison-like which will be difficult to achieve under a full reopening model. 

We will need the first few weeks to get everyone used to new processes and routines and to tune and refine.  After a few weeks, we will assess the conditions in the schools, community, and the state, and  ideally move towards a fuller opening, remain on hybrid, or shift towards Distance Learning. 

I understand the need to reopen fully and, virus permitting, that is definitely our goal, especially for our elementary students and students with special needs. 

Staffing Concerns and Early Student Dismissal

At the School Committee Meeting, I expressed concerns about staffing due to the Department of Health requirements for all employers in all industries to permit employees to stay home if they are sick.  Across the state, superintendents are anticipating that with general illnesses, staff going in and out of quarantine, and the general lack of substitute teachers, we will have difficulty keeping our classrooms fully staffed. 

North Smithfield has an option that many schools do not have. We have one of the longest school days among public schools in the state. Our school day is closer in length to private, parochial, and some charter schools. 

The school day will be reduced for students by 45 minutes. This move will allow our teachers to provide class coverage during the day to offset the anticipated lack of substitute teacher availability and create time at the end of the day to better support the mix of student in-person and Distance Learning needs.


I do understand the disruption in family schedules that reducing the student school day by 45 minutes will create for some. We have not committed to this solution but are strongly considering it. We will know more when the Governor makes her school reopening announcement on August 31st. 

Distance Learning

Whether families choose full Distance Learning, or Distance Learning as part of the Hybrid Model, or Distance Learning is necessitated due to quarantine, it will look different than it did last year.  Our Distance Learning delivery will be:

• More structured. 
  
• More rigorous and focused on mastery of core standards,
  
• More social and connected where teachers can work simultaneously with students at home and in-person. Students at home can join lessons from the classroom and work on activities among each other and with classmates in-school. 
  
• Technologically has improved through the purchase of new Chromebooks for all students at NSMS and NSHS, reallocation of additional Chromebooks to NSES, along with licensing a set of core online academic services and learning platforms for access by all students. 
  

A separate email/form will be going out allowing parents who indicated they were interested in a Distance Learning option to reconsider as well as families who did not sign up for Distance Learning to add their student’s names. 

Facilities Update

In addition to general summer cleaning and maintenance, our Facilities Department is preparing for school reopening. 

Of note, the Rhode Island Departments of Education and Department of Health recommended at the beginning of the summer that schools install plexiglass student partitions in classrooms. Our focus instead was to tune, service, and upgrade our HVAC system controls and unit ventilators. Last week, new guidance to districts and schools advised not to spend money on plexiglas partitions and instead improve school and classroom ventilation. North Smithfield again was ahead of the game. 

Here is a brief list of some of our projects and purchases: 

• All custodial and maintenance staff have been trained and certified for Covid-19 cleaning procedures
  
• All high school, middle school and elementary school unit ventilators are operable and have been cleaned, serviced and filters changed (ongoing)
  
• Every classroom will have hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray and a paper towel dispenser
  
• Purchased 3 GenEon mist disinfectant sprayers
  
• Purchased 1000 disposable children face masks and 1000 adult masks
  
• Purchased 150 gallons of hand sanitizer
  
• Purchased 225 disinfectant refillable spray bottles
  
• Purchased 150 paper towel dispensers
  
• Purchased 25 cases latex gloves
  
• Purchased 100 teacher face shields
  
• Proper signage (one way, 6 feet apart, hand washing, etc) will be installed before the opening of school
  
• All classrooms and offices will go through another round of cleaning and disinfecting before opening of school
  
• The new HVAC controls project for the elementary has begun and is expected to be completed by 9/14 or shortly after.
  
• The unit vents are operable and will be operable for the 1st day of school.
  
• The HVAC re-commissioning of the middle school began on 8/20 and will be completed by the end of September
  
• All classrooms have operable windows 
  
• An additional outdoor walking path has been installed at the elementary school for students to pass to the cafeteria and the gym to help ease crowding in halls
  
• All classrooms in the elementary school have been painted, new ceiling tiles, new and renovated bookcases and new LED lighting throughout the entire building
  
• All ceiling tiles in corridors have been replaced at the elementary school
  
• New water bottle filler dispensers installed at the elementary, middle and high schools
  
• High school kitchen has been renovated (paint and ceiling tiles) 
  
• High school boys locker rooms are currently under renovation (completion by end of September)
  
• High school girls locker room painted
  
• High school window replacement phase to begin in September and completed by end of October
  

Our teachers and staff desperately want to reopen and welcome all students back, but given budgetary constraints, restrictions in busing and gatherings, taking extra health and safety precautions, accommodating the mix of in-person and Distance Learning needs, everything this year will be a balancing act like we have never seen before.  



Michael St. Jean,
Superintendent