Fearing surge in COVID cases, Massachusetts Teachers Association pushes for remote learning in schools for 2020-2021 school year

As Massachusetts school districts continue to form reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year, educators are pushing to return to the classroom remotely.

Massachusetts Teachers Association held a virtual meeting Wednesday night, during which union leaders and members spoke out against a return to in-person learning this September.

“Educators across Massachusetts miss their students and are eager to resume learning in person – as that is how education is supposed to be,” the MTA board of directors said in a statement. “Our greatest collective obligations, however, are to keep students, educators, families and communities out of harm’s way and to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 in our communities and across the state. Therefore, the districts and the state must demonstrate that health and safety conditions and negotiated public health benchmarks are met before buildings reopen.”

MTA leadership said that until such criteria is met, “We will refuse to return to unsafe school buildings and we will use the 10 additional days at the start of the 2020-2021 school year before instruction of students begins to redesign learning.”

MTA is the largest teacher’s union in the state, representing 110,000 educators throughout Massachusetts.

This push to start the school year remotely comes days after state education officials announced a delayed start to the school year.

Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley announced on Monday that Massachusetts school districts can delay the start of the school year by up to two weeks. Districts must start no later than Sept. 16.

The decision was made following discussions with the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association, AFT-Massachusetts and the Boston Teachers’ Union.

The school year will be reduced from 180 days to 170 days to allow school districts the additional 10 days to prepare for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Students must receive a minimum of 850 and 935 hours of structured learning time for elementary and secondary students, respectively.

Structured learning time is defined in the regulations as “time during which students are engaged in regularly scheduled instruction, learning activities, or learning assessments within the curriculum for study of the ‘core subjects’ and ‘other subjects.’ In addition to classroom time where both teachers and students are present, structured learning time may include directed study, independent study, technology-assisted learning, presentations by persons other than teachers, school-to-work programs, and statewide student performance assessments.”

Massachusetts school districts must create three educational plans: a full return to in-person classroom, a hybrid of in-person and remote learning and fully remote learning.

Many districts have said social distancing mandates will force them to offer a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, welcoming students back to the classroom physically on a rotating basis.

Massachusetts school districts pivoted to remote learning in mid-March amid a growing number of coronavirus cases, leaving educators scrambling to teach their students. Some offered remote classes over Zoom while other districts relied on take-home work packets for students.

In recent weeks, state education officials have outlined reopening protocols for in-person and remote learning.

In-person learning

Major facility changes will occur in most schools, including but not limited to: reconfiguration of desks in classrooms to allow for social distancing; limiting traffic in hallways; and installation of additional hand-washing hand sanitizing stations.

State guidance calls for students to spend as much time as possible with a single group of students, rather than shifting from room-to-room and mixing with other groups of students.

Outdoor spaces should also be considered, weather allowing. “As feasible, consider the use of outdoor spaces for classes, breaks, meals, and other activities. Some jurisdictions have considered tents, platforms, and other not-permanent structures in spaces adjacent to buildings, such as courtyards, play areas and parking lots.”

There is no maximum classroom size number in the state guidelines though larger cohorts of students will need to utilize larger classrooms or alternative spaces, such as auditoriums and libraries. For larger spaces, districts are recommended to break up such rooms with temporary walls or dividers into smaller classrooms.

“Some jurisdictions are considering installing temporary floor-to-ceiling walls to maximize cohorts in larger spaces,” according to the state guidance. “Be mindful that temporary barriers may not block sound as well as permanent walls.”

While some states are utilizing plexiglass barriers to help with physical distancing between desks, Massachusetts education officials have recommended against this in classrooms.

Classrooms will feature student desks facing forward with at least 3 feet “from seat edge to seat edge,” the reopening guidance states, though 6 feet is encouraged when possible. All students will have assigned seating in their classrooms.

COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people cough, sneeze or talk. Research suggests the droplets only travel up to three feet, Sandra Nelson, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told state education officials last month.

All staff and students in second grade and older will be required to wear masks. Students in kindergarten and first grade will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks. Parents or guardians will be expected to supply their children with reusable masks which should be washed daily. Schools will have extra disposable face masks available if needed.

Students are recommended to have at least two mask breaks per day for recess and mealtime. During these times, students must be at least 6 feet apart.

“Consider using tape or other markers to identify where students should be to maintain 6 feet of separation,” the guidance states. “Handwashing facilities or hand sanitizer must be available upon entering and leaving this space. Provide napkins or paper towels for masks to be set on (inside face up) when removed. Consider adding signage in mask break areas on how to properly put on and take off masks. As mask-wearing is recommended for children younger than second grade, it is important to note that these students may need additional mask breaks during the day.”

Playgrounds can be used during recess - with limitations. Staff must monitor students, who will be required to wear masks and physically distance on playground equipment.

Bus transportation

School transportation will significantly differ when students return to in-person learning this fall.

All staff and students, regardless of age, will be required to wear masks at all times. Exemptions to the mask mandate will be made for students with medical and/or behavioral reasons.

Bus drivers and monitors will be trained on watching for possible symptomatic students. If a student shows symptoms of being sick while getting on the bus, state education officials said they should not be allowed to board and their caregiver should take them home. That protocol assumes a parent or guardian is waiting at the bus stop with the student.

Upon boarding the bus, students will go to assigned seats, with students seated no more than one to a bench, alternating sides for each row. Children from the same household will be allowed to sit together but all others will be required to maintain at least three feet of physical distance while seated.

The new guidelines will significantly decrease the number of students on each bus. An 83-passenger bus in operation will now be able to seat up to 27 passengers - 33% capacity.

A 47-passenger bus is now limited to 15 passengers.

A 14-passenger bus may only be used to transport 6 people.

With the decreased capacity, Massachusetts school districts will encourage parents and guardians to utilize alternative modes of transportation, from driving children to school daily, carpooling with a specific group of families or children walking to school.

Remote learning

Remote learning for school-aged children this fall will look significantly different from remote learning offered by Massachusetts school districts this past spring.

Following statewide school closures this spring, districts could chose two educational models for the remainder of the school year: resources and supports, which included sending packets and assignments home to students; or instruction and services, which included structured learning time, teletherapy, and video conferencing.

For the 2020-2021 school year, schools must offer only the latter learning option, offering remote students a regular and consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies including frequent interactions with teachers and other staff members to ensure participation.

“The consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies must include time students spend interacting directly with teachers and related service providers on a regular basis, as well as some independent work time, as appropriate, and opportunities for interacting with classmates,” the guidance states. “Synchronous remote lessons or tele-therapy sessions can be provided via telephone or video conferencing. Students might also benefit from asynchronous pre-recorded videos of lessons to follow at home. For students receiving the majority of their daily instruction through special education, teachers and therapists should assign supplemental work (beyond lessons taught synchronously or asynchronously) during the school day that can be accomplished independently with guidance from and accountability to the teacher or therapist.”

For both in-person and remote learning grades are back, as is state testing. While many schools transitioned away from offering a letter grade this past spring, student performance will be graded across in-person, hybrid and remote learning.

State education officials have encouraged districts to prioritize bringing student groups considered high risk of falling behind their classmates back to in-person learning full time, including:

Students with disabilities and English learners, particularly those with more intensive needs
Students whose parents/caregivers report that they do not have access to reliable internet or a suitable learning space at home (particularly students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and students in foster care or congregate care)
Students who are significantly behind academically
Students who were disengaged and/or who struggled significantly during previous remote learning periods
Early learners (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade)

Ultimately, families will decide whether their children will attend in-person classes or continue remote learning. All schools must offer comprehensive curriculums for remote learning, including meeting the specialized needs of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners.

Parents with children who have pre-existing medical conditions are encouraged to speak with their pediatricians to discuss their individual medical needs.

In weeks leading to the start of the school year, thousands of parents across the state have told their district leaders they intend to enroll their children in fully remote learning.

Springfield Public Schools, the third-largest school district in Massachusetts behind Boston and Worcester, conducted a survey this summer and found about 30% of parents wanted to enroll their children in the fully remote learning option. District officials plan to check in with parents again in weeks ahead of the school year starting to confirm enrollment preferences.

A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs shows the majority of Americans believe such safety measures are necessary for schools to reopen.

Of those surveyed, less than 8% believe K-12 schools should reopen for normal in-person instruction.

About 14% sought to have schools reopen with minor changes while 46% believe major adjustments are necessary for the safety of students and staff.

An additional 31% said they don’t believe schools should reopen this fall, but should instead continuing remote learning.

Shift to remote learning mid-year

Districts across the state will likely shift to fully remote learning, either for short or extended periods this fall if members of the school community test positive or the number of cases locally spike.

Education officials emphasize that families are “the most important first line of defense for monitoring symptoms.” Students are expected to stay home if they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19.

If a student or school staff member exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, they must get tested with the result returning negative prior to returning to school.

If their test returns negative, they must stay home until they are asymptomatic for 24 hours. If their test returns positive, they must remain at home. Notify the school of the results, the local board of health and people with whom the staffer has been in close contact with recently.

If the child was at home when their parent or guardian learned of the possible exposure, they should be kept at home and be tested four to five days after their most recent exposure to the person.

The school will determine when the last time the student or staffer was on school grounds two days prior to the onset of symptoms - or testing if they were asymptomatic. The school must close off areas visited by the positive student or staffer so they can be cleaned and disinfected prior to reopening. If the student or staffer traveled on the school bus, it must be disinfected as well.

For elementary school: Communication will be sent to other families in the student’s class to notify them of a positive test without naming the person. Those who may have gotten within six feet of the student are staffer will be urged to get self-quarantine and get tested four to five days after their last exposure to the person. If they choose not to get tested, they must remain home for 14 days.

For middle and high school students: As students in upper grades shift between classrooms more, the school will contact staffers and families of students in classes throughout the student’s scheduled day.

Students who were within six feet of the individual in class or on the school bus will be urged to get self-quarantine and get tested four to five days after their last exposure to the person. If they choose not to get tested, they must remain home for 14 days.

“If there is more than one confirmed COVID-19 case (students or staff) in the school at one time, or if there is a series of single cases in a short time span, school leaders and the superintendent should work with the local board of health to determine if it is likely that there is transmission happening in school,” state guidance says.

When there is in-school transmission beyond a single classroom or cohort, school officials may close part of the school or the entire school for several days for an extensive cleaning - likely one to three days - or close the school fully or partially for two weeks to allow for a school-wide quarantine period.

If multiple cases are present in multiple schools, district officials must consult with the local board of health in determining if there will be a district-wide closure for several days or weeks.

If a school decides to close, it will immediately transition to remote learning.

The symptoms of COVID-19 include:

Fever (100.4° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Muscle aches or body aches
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

A list of test sites is available here, and Massachusetts also has an interactive testing map. Additionally, every school should maintain a list of available testing sites.

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