Newburyport Schools Reopening Plan Available to Public

Message to Newburyport parents from Superintendent Sean Gallagher:

Dear NPS Community,

I am writing to share with you the Newburyport Public Schools Reopening Plan that will be presented to the school committee for their vote on August 17th. This summer, our work as a district has been focused on safely returning our students to school while utilizing the current data and guidelines issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and our local Department of Public Health. Additionally, we harnessed the knowledge, research and expertise of a variety of community stakeholders to formulate the best plan possible to present to the School Committee.

Click this link to view the NPS Reopening Plan

District Reopening Task Force

The Task Force, which is composed of a group of 70 stakeholders made up of educators, parents, public health experts, medical personnel and community representatives, have been meeting weekly. As you are aware, this work is very complex and spans areas from operations to curriculum, therefore we divided the task force into six subcommittees: District Planning, Curriculum and Technology, Buildings and Operations, Health and Safety, Special Education, and Social Emotional Health. Conversations within the subcommittees and amongst the larger group have provided us with a deeper understanding of the needs of our students, parents, and staff which have guided our final reopening plans.

Culture of Health and Safety

Our plans are driven by public health officials and state guidance. By combining a number of practices and safety protocols, we have proposed models that provide a safe environment for learning. To support a successful and safe opening, everyone in our community will need to commit to these safety protocols. Some of these practices include but are not limited to:

Wearing masks
Providing physical distance
Cohorting students
Practicing good hygiene (i.e. hand washing, hand sanitizers)
Pre-screening for health before entering a building

Reopening Models and DESE Plans

DESE has asked each district to develop three preliminary plans for returning to school: (1) full in-person learning, (2) a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, and (3) fully remote learning. NPS submitted our three preliminary plans on July 31.

Full In-person. Although we submitted a full in-person plan to the State, the only way that plan would be possible is if we used three-foot distancing in the classrooms. After setting up model classrooms, walking through the modified daily routines, and considering the health and safety of our staff and students, we have determined we cannot safely return all 2,300 students to school using a full in-person model in the fall.

Hybrid. Each school has developed its own model for hybrid learning. Since a hybrid model brings only part of our students into the building at one time, we have been able to set up learning spaces using six-foot distance guidelines in the Francis T. Bresnahan School, the Edward G. Molin School and the Rupert A. Nock School. The learning plan at the Newburyport High School will consist of remote learning instruction with an in-person advisory in order to maintain the safest environment where we have the ability to cohort students and utilize contact tracing. At the same time, we will be able to provide robust academic course offerings and levels for every student. At all levels, our plans provide a combination of in-person and remote learning, daily live instruction, and standards-based curricula.

Remote. Each school also has a remote learning plan. Like our hybrid plans, administrators have worked collaboratively to create developmentally appropriate plans that are responsive to staff, student and parent feedback and meet the expectations of DESE.

The School Committee will vote on the district’s reopening plan on August 17th. The District and our school community will continue to work together in the upcoming weeks to refine the plan.

I can assure you that we will continue to focus on transitioning students back to school safely and preparing them for success in whichever model is chosen. Although the start of school will be different than other years, students will still be provided a comprehensive and thoughtful education. As a school community we will devote our energy to supporting and preparing our faculty and staff for this resolute task.

Respectfully,

Sean Gallagher

Superintendent of Schools

After reviewing the reopening plans you may have some questions. To assist us in building a collection of FAQ’s, please submit any questions using the links below.

Bresnahan School FAQ Link

https://forms.gle/YQKf9NMy1Fm2RQCR6

Molin School FAQ Link

https://forms.gle/cmCKz42u1MBRPP7S8

Nock Middle School FAQ Link

https://forms.gle/BVSWvAk2KffFhKrn7

Newburyport High School FAQ Link

https://forms.gle/Vv2Dp86DzmmW1rtz8

District FAQ Link

https://forms.gle/oZLSPjn88iwWEmTT6