The Gorham School Committee (SC) will decide whether to increase in-person school days this spring at a special meeting on April 1.
Superintendent Heather Perry outlined three possible scenarios at a virtual March 24 meeting. Members of the SC discussed the benefits and unintended consequences of these options as they considered moving away from the current hybrid model. They made no decisions at this Zoom meeting, which was attended by more than 200 people, but made clear they intend to have schools open five days in the fall.
Perry will bring to the meeting a more fully formed plan for at least four in-school days for all Gorham students. She previously surveyed teachers about their preferences and will survey parents and 6-12 students prior to April first.
Responses from 224 staff members indicated that 75% would prefer remaining in the hybrid model for the remainder of this school year with plans to open five days a week in the fall. The District Leadership Team (DLT) agreed with this assessment. “However,” Perry said, “all agreed that if a decision is made to move more quickly, we can and will make that happen for our students and do it well.”
All three options presented would require reducing the space between student desks to three feet from the current six-foot separations. This is in line with state guidelines. All three options would have K-5 students in school four days a week.
Additionally, the first option would bring all students, K-12, back to school for four days with Friday continuing to be a remote day.
The second option would also bring Gorham Middle School (GMS) students to school for four days and Gorham High School (GHS) students to school for a half day on four days with Fridays alternating between the current A and B day configuration.
The third option has 6-12 students for five half days. With this option, those students would be dismissed with bag lunches at 1 p.m.
There are positives and unintended consequences for each option. If any were to be adopted Perry said that that all schooling would be fully remote for a week after April break to configure the spaces to meet the 3-foot classroom requirement and 6-foot spacing requirement for cafeterias and other large spaces.
Teachers would need an additional three days to plan transitions. Classes would resume for four-day instruction on April 29, 2021 and continue through the remainder of the school year.
School Committee members discussed the pros and cons of moving to more in-person instruction with the highest priority the welfare of students. Perry had met with the district’s Medical Advisory Team and reported that they had emphasized the importance of mask-wearing, a requirement that Gorham students have followed very well. They also felt that six-foot distances were important when students were eating.
They reported a significant increase in students’ social and emotional needs but questioned whether moving to more face-to-face time would resolve this or just shift to different needs. Perry did not ask them to make recommendations on the choices facing the SC.
One area of concern was transportation, since all students coming to school on the same day would require more parent pick-up and bus drivers. Bus spacing would have to remain the same with students in every other seat. More holding space for students who arrive without signed daily screening forms would be needed. It was also noted by SC members that COVID screenings have become more relaxed lately and needs to improve whether any attendance changes are made.
Proposed plans have different implications for K-5 students and those at GMS and GHS. There would be schedule disruptions at GHS that could affect students finishing courses. Members raised questions about whether the addition of approximately eight in-person days would offset the disruption to students from changes made the late in the school year.
Others emphasized the value to students of face-to-face instruction with their peers. After a lengthy discussion, the SC chose to consider adopting the three-foot spacing change to look deeper into a plan that would include more in-school time, which would require three-foot classroom spacing.
However, the SC wants more information before making any decision. They could vote for a plan that brings students to school more often, or they could continue the hybrid system until the end of the year.