Board Hears Recommendations for Safer Reopening, Reimagines Distance Learning
School is still in session, but already the board of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is thinking about what next year will look like.
“Our minds are focused very intently on how to get our kids back in our school buildings in the fall,” board president David Grande said early in the nearly three-hour May 26 school board meeting. The district is considering how to implement school entirely in school buildings, entirely from home, and everything in between.
David Rubin, a professor of pediatrics and director of the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Meredith Matone, Science Director of the PolicyLab, made recommendations to the board. They recently completed a policy review, “Evidence and Considerations for School Reopenings.”
Keeping sick people and those recently exposed to the coronavirus at home is the single most important measure to make school safe, Matone said. She stressed the importance of a flexible attendance policy for students, teachers, and staff. It’s crucial, she said, “not just to allow for, but to encourage, individuals who are symptomatic, or who have had an exposure, to remain home.”
Because kids may carry the virus without showing symptoms, it is important that families report any sick member of the household to the school district, Matone said. Children living in a house with someone who tests positive for the virus must quarantine at home.
Stepping up sanitation and hygiene is the second most important measure schools can take. Matone recommended paying attention to what objects and surfaces get touched most often and making sure they are cleaned frequently. Washing hands both on the way into and out of bathrooms is good practice, she said.
While transmission through touching contaminated surfaces (fomite transmission) does not seem to be a major factor in the spread of COVID-19, it can be significant. Matone stressed that this is particularly true for young children who are more likely to touch things and less likely to wash hands thoroughly.
She recommended that the school district start buying cleaning supplies soon.
A Menu of Mitigation Measures
Rubin and Matone offered a variety of options for the district to consider in addition to surveillance/quarantine and sanitizing/hygiene. Rubin conceded that none of their proposals can entirely eliminate transmission. But, he said, the more measures the district takes, the better the chances that schools can stay open.
Options include:
Starting the school year earlier. Warmer temperatures and higher humidity seem to decrease virus transmission, Rubin reported. Moving the start of school a few weeks earlier could give students significantly more time in the classroom. “My daughters are standing behind me with pitchforks,” he said, acknowledging how unpopular school in the summer could be. But he expects COVID-19 to surge in the late fall. An extended winter break might usefully keep kids at home during the height of such a surge.
Ventilation. Holding classes outside, using large spaces rather than small classrooms, keeping windows and doors open, and relocating some school activities to community buildings could mitigate the spread of the virus.
Physical distancing. Reduced class size and staggered schedules, with students attending school on some days and learning remotely the other days, could also help. Kids could eat lunch at their desks rather than in lunchrooms. Hallways could be one-way. Teachers could rotate through classrooms while students stay put.
Face shields and masks. Clear face shields are recommended for teachers. Unlike masks, face shields permit students to see teachers’ faces. This is especially important for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and autistic children, Matone said. Masks could be useful for non-teaching staff, she said. Matone did not recommend masks for students: children are likely to be distracted by masks, find them uncomfortable, and touch their faces while fiddling with them.
Protocols for home. Schools can give families guidance on steps to take when kids arrive home from school, Matone said. Kids might head straight for the shower while adults disinfect schoolbooks and musical instrument cases. Such procedures can be especially important in households with older or immunocompromised people.
Sports present special problems. Matone said one approach to mitigating the spread of the virus within high-contact sports teams is to test all team members. “If any athlete tests positive, the game gets cancelled,” Rubin said. Matone suggested schools play local opponents rather than traveling, organize practices to focus on skill-building to limit person-to-person contact, and live-stream games rather than permit spectators.
School districts should be ready to implement different strategies at different times, Rubin said. If COVID-19 surges, more strategies might be necessary. Conversely, if cases decrease, the district can relax some policies. “You want to think of everything you do as a dimmer switch,” he said.
The school district is ready for the challenge of implementing as many recommendations as possible, board president Grande said. “We want our kids back in school.”
The full report can be read at: swat.ink/CHOP-recommendations.
Back to School in Summer?
Grande asked the board to particularly consider the recommendations about starting the school year earlier. “I recognize this would be a major change,” he said, when the meeting turned to new business. But, he added, “I think everyone wants to do everything possible to get students back in our buildings, hopefully for the entire year.”
Grande cited evidence from the CHOP presentation that COVID-19 transmission rates might be lowest in the summer. Outdoor teaching, open windows, and other measures to slow transmission could also be easier. “Starting school earlier than what we had planned may give us the best chance,” he said. He asked Palmer to bring a draft calendar to the board’s June 8 meeting.
He also proposed that the board form a standing education committee to complement its policy and finance committees. This would enable the board to give more attention to curricular issues. The proposal will be taken up at the June 8 meeting.
Remote Learning: ‘Good Enough Is Gone’
Remote learning seems likely to continue to be at least one mode of instruction next year. In response to parent and student complaints about the quality of online education this spring, the district is determined to do better, according to Director of Education Denise Citarelli Jones.
“The spring was an emergency situation,” she said. Now, the district has time to plan.
Superintendent Lisa Palmer is forming two new committees to help the district prepare for the fall. One will focus on education, the other on planning.
Citarelli Jones’ presentation focused on the education committee which will comprise teachers, administrators, and staff, and will seek input from parents and students. A variety of voices is key to the committee’s success, Citarelli Jones said. Subgroups will focus on flexible instruction, gap recovery (how to make up learning missed during the crisis this spring), and technology.
To plan for next year, the education committee will consider successes and failures from the current school year, scholarly research on the issues, and community surveys. “We underestimated some things that we now have to fix,” Citarelli Jones said.
“Good enough is gone,” she said. “I want the best imaginable.”
Synchronous class sessions will be “non-negotiable,” according to Citarelli Jones. She characterized more teacher-student time as key to successful learning. She also called more student-to-student time “essential” for student mental health.
Citarelli Jones also listed challenges. New technology can be difficult to master. The best pace for assignments can be hard to gauge. Teaching at different levels for different students is particularly hard online. And what to do about students who simply fail to participate in remote activities?
Citarelli Jones acknowledged that the district needs to do a better job communicating with families. She promised weekly updates from the education committee. The committee will also have a website where people can follow its progress.
“I want to bring back that spirit of unity and cooperation” that she believes the school community experienced at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. “If we are not being transparent at all times, we simply cannot do that.”
Music Programs Online
WSSD music teachers stressed the social and emotional benefits of music at their presentation to the board. This year’s summer music program will run June 22 - July 16, online.
WSSD’s popular summer music program will continue this summer, running from June 22 to July 16, according to Henry Pearlberg, chair of the WSSD music department. Small group lessons will be given on Zoom. Music appreciation, history, and theory will be a bigger part of the program than in the past.
Music instructors John Shankweiler and Nick Pignataro told the board how the music program has been adapted for online teaching this spring. Teachers used performance games and composition apps. They shared online master classes from professional musicians. And, to address the emotional and social aspects of the music program, they asked students to reflect on music that comforts them and to interview family members about favorite music.
In the future, the music department plans to live-stream more concerts, Shankweiler said. Next year, the traditional spring musical could be a made-for-TV project.
Shankweiler also envisions new ways of bringing music to the community: “We don’t have to just think about caroling during the holidays.”
Retirements and New Staff
The board approved the retirement of long-time graphic design teacher Leslie Taylor.
11 new appointments were also approved.
To view a video of this or any other WSSD school board meeting: swat.ink/school-board.
The next meeting will be Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Watch on WSSD’s YouTube Channel: swat.ink/wssd-youtube.
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