At three Zoom forums for parents of Gorham students, Superintendent Heather Perry outlined plans under development for opening schools at the end of August. Although the Maine CDC metric and the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) has designated all of Maine a Green zone that permits schools to fully open, “the Green designation for our county isn’t really Green,” Perry said, adding, “Schools can open in Green only if they can meet all MDOE guidelines with all students on campus.”
“Schools can open in Green only if they can meet all MDOE guidelines with all students on campus.” The decision on how to open Gorham schools will be made by the School Committee (SC) at a special meeting on August 6. Gorham school administrators have scheduled another series of forums for August 10, 11, and 12 to give additional details of the approved plan and to answer questions.
During the July forums, Perry explained guidelines from the Maine CDC and the MDOE requirements, as well as the guiding principles the district will follow in implementing the Gorham plan. Recordings of the forums for high school students and those in K-5 are available on the Gorham School Department website.
The three different plans the district developed are virtual learning from home, a hybrid plan, and a regular school day with hygiene requirements. In order to have students and staff in school buildings, a district must enforce the following restrictions: there must be symptom screening at home before coming to school; everyone must stay six feet from each other although students can be only three feet apart when eating; everyone over the age of five must wear a face covering; hand hygiene rules must be enforced; additional safety protection must be available when needed; and there needs to be a process for people returning to school after being sick. There are also requirements for how many people can be together in a space at one time.
These restrictions would apply in the hybrid plan but only half the students will be in school at one time. Half of the students will be in school on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the other half will attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays will be designated as flexible days for individual on-line student assistance and planning. Parents can elect to have their children receive only virtual instruction, but that decision would hold for the entire semester.
Once a re-opening plan is approved, parents will receive detailed explanations of all aspects of it, including transportation plans, and will have about a week to make decisions about their children’s attendance.
Before coming to school, students who travel out-of-state to an unapproved state must quarantine for 14 days or provide a negative COVID-19 test. If only the adults in the household have been to an unapproved state, the student may attend school.
The district staff will be available to answer any questions about the plan at the upcoming forums and or by contacting school principals and other administrators directly.
The Gorham Times will continue to follow the changes and will cover the reopening plan in more detail in the August 20 issue.
PARENT SURVEY RESULTS
Courtesy of Gorham School Dept.
Superintendent Heather Perry recently shared the results of the original K-12 Parent/Guardian Re-Opening Survey and thanked those who participated. She said the feedback is helpful in creating the best possible re-opening plan for students.
Total Responses: 1,383
If we return to school this fall under the “hybrid model,” would you send your child(ren) to school?
44 responded No (72 students total)
176 responded Maybe
1163 responded Yes (85%)
Parents who responded NO break out as follows:
15 students were grades K-2
21 students were grades 3-5
13 students were grades 6-8
15 students were grades 9-12
8 students were undesignated
Parents who responded MAYBE break out as follows:
68 students were grades K-2
73 students were grades 3-5
54 students were grades 6-8
66 students were grades 9-12
24 students were undesignated
Of those parents who responded YES to sending students to school in the hybrid model:
757 said they could transport their child(ren)
348 said that they may be able to transport their child(ren)
278 said that they could not transport their child(ren)
Of those who said NO they could not transport their children, responses broke out by grade level as follows:
108 students were grades K-2
113 students were grades 3-5
104 students were grades 6-8
103 students were grades 9-12
11 students were undesignated
Of those parents who responded YES to sending students to school in the hybrid model:
433 said they would participate in school lunch programs
340 said that they maybe willing to participate in school lunch programs
610 said they would not participate in school lunch programs
Of those that said YES they would participate in the school lunch programs, responses broke out by grade level as follows:
166 students were grades K-2
172 students were grades 3-5
155 students were grades 6-8
164 students were grades 9-12
24 students were undesignated
If schools open under a hybrid model, will you be able to find child care for your child(ren)?
839 responded Yes
312 responded Maybe
163 responded No
Of those that responded NO, responses broke out by grade level as follows:
63 students were grades K-2
76 students were grades 3-5
69 students were grades 6-8
12 students were undesignated
Would you be interested in child care options offered by Gorham Recreation?
226 responded Yes
300 responded Maybe
766 responded No