Framingham Looking To Start 2020-21 School Year Remotely; School Committee Meeting July 29

The following is a press release from the Framingham Public Schools.

***

[broadstreet zone=”53230″]

FRAMINGHAM – The Framingham Public Schools have continued to develop Back-to-School Plans and considerations on how to return safely over the last few months. Following the guidance provided by the Commonwealth and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and inputs from a volunteer Back-to-School Task Force of educators, school leaders, and the FPS central office administration, the District has today released a comprehensive Back-to-School plan for public feedback.

While the Plan and protocols may change according to evolving information and guidance as well as bargaining with local unions, this Plan will be presented to the Framingham School Committee next Wednesday July 29th.

If approved, the Plan will be submitted to the DESE on July 31, 2020.

The Back-to-School Plan outlines three models of instruction requested by the DESE (in-person, remote, and hybrid). It delineates Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay and Director of Public Health’s Sam Wong’s joint recommendation for a graduated hybrid model that starts full-remote in September and then evolves into a hybrid (in-person and remote) model following a collaborative decision-making process with the Department of Public Health beginning in early October.

This phased approach has been recommended as the safest way forward for our community.

The Plan outlines the proposed timeline to transition into a hybrid model in the fall after more is known about the virus, physical infrastructure, ventilation, and indoor air quality construction upgrades occur, professional development takes place, the heat that lingers from the end of summer is behind us, and the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV) is reduced.

[broadstreet zone=”53230″]

In accordance with Framingham School Committee Policy, the packet materials are publicly available now to allow members to review the information and prepare questions for the Superintendent and District representatives.

View the back to school plan at this link: Back-to-School Plan 

The Framingham community is encouraged to watch the School Committee and Board of Health’s joint meeting next week during which the tenets of the Plan will be discussed and a recommendation or endorsement from the Committee will be made.

The District needs to submit its Plan to the DESE by Friday, July 31, 2020 

Timeline

• Friday, July 24, 2020: FPS Back to School Plan posted to School Committee Website
• Monday, July 27, 2020: Back to School Task Force Meeting
• Tuesday, July 28, 2020: FPS Staff Meeting
• Wednesday, July 29, 2020: Back to School Updates: Live with Tremblay at 10:30am and 4:00pm; School Committee Meeting at 7:00pm
• Thursday, July 30, 2020: Possible School Committee Meeting Extension (Open Session, only if additional time is needed at 7:00pm)
• Friday, July 31, 2020: Back to School Plan due to DESE

“I am grateful to our incredible district and school leadership teams, our union leadership, and our strong subcommittees and working groups of district stakeholders for the tremendous time, energy, and resources that have gone into developing the initial elements of this Back-to-School Plan”, said Tremblay, Superintendent of Framingham Public Schools. 

“We deeply appreciate the opportunity to work with Dr. Tremblay and his dedicated school leadership team on this difficult planning process.  The health and safety of our students and teachers is paramount in our recommendations”, said Dr. Samuel Wong, Director of Public Health for the City.

“The Framingham Public Schools are an important partner in addressing the many public health issues we face in our city,” said Gillian Carcia, Chair of the Board of Health. “We are looking forward to continued collaboration to best serve the needs of our community.”

“Together we can best attempt to get through the uncertainty and stress reopening school creates by working through each issue in collaboration with local public health experts,” said Adam Freudberg, Chair of the School Committee, District 4. “I’m grateful that Dr. Wong and the entire Board of Health will again be joining the School Committee and FPS for this essential and timely discussion in advance of the state’s deadline.”