Update from Head of School about Return to School in Fall

On Monday, June 8, Phase II of the reopening plan for Massachusetts began. This new phase is part of the four-phased plan to reopen Massachusetts that Governor Baker presented on May 18, a plan based upon public health data with at least three weeks for each phase. The plan does not contain specific details about the return to school in the fall, but I want to share the available information from the ongoing planning from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and our ongoing planning at Rising Tide.

DESE Commissioner Riley created a Return to School Working group in May to inform the guidance that he plans to provide to schools and districts across the Commonwealth. The Commissioner has indicated that he will share with superintendents and charter school leaders a draft of guidance for the return to school in the fall by the end of next week. On June 5, Commissioner Riley sent a memo to school leaders with guidance for purchasing the required safety supplies for returning to school in the fall. This guidance included an overview of the current health and safety guidelines, indicating that all staff and students will need to wear masks, observe 6 feet of separation to the greatest extent possible, and practice frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Commissioner Riley has stated a number of times that the guidance may change through the summer and into the next school year based upon public health data.

At Rising Tide, we have been actively planning for the return to school in the fall while we await further guidance from Commissioner Riley, guided by our own goals for this planning:

Three primary collaborative groups at Rising Tide, two that existed previously and a third new group, have been discussing the challenges and potential solutions on multiple fronts. Our Curriculum Coordinators, a group of faculty leaders that meets weekly, has been discussing ways we can improve our teaching and learning through our distance learning and prepare to uphold the appropriate rigor of our school program and provide improved support for students and families in the upcoming school year. Our Crisis Response Team, a group of school leaders, wellness team members, and operations team members, has been meeting weekly to review the ongoing health and safety guidance and prepare our facility and our health and safety protocols for the upcoming year. The Rising Tide Re-Entry Work Group, a group of school leaders, general education teachers, special education teachers, operations team members, and wellness team members, is meeting twice a week to define the challenges, plan for a variety of scenarios, and work to develop both innovative and practical ideas for best implementing our school program for the upcoming year.

Given the unpredictability of how the current health crisis may shift over the course of the next year, we are preparing for multiple scenarios for implementing teaching and learning. We may need to, at some point in the year, continue to implement teaching and learning through distance learning. We may, at some point, be able to have all students return to school in person with a more standard Rising Tide schedule. We may need to follow a hybrid, or blended model, where due to physical distancing guidelines, only a portion of our students will be able to be physically at school on certain days, complemented by a structured distance learning program on other days. Through the planning with our collaborative groups, we are focused on developing solutions that can adapt quickly and relatively seamlessly between these different scenarios, keeping our goals at the forefront of our work.

There are, of course, many more questions to be answered, including whether schools in Massachusetts will have a fall sports season, or whether other extracurricular programs will be able to operate. The answers to many of these questions will become more clear following the forthcoming guidance from Commissioner Riley.

Later this week, we will be asking for feedback from all of our students and families to hear about the experiences, successes, and challenges for each of you through the current health crisis and our Distance Learning Plan. Your feedback will be critical to the work of our collaborative groups in planning for the fall. 

 

In addition to the health and safety preparations for the upcoming school year, we are looking forward to bringing together students, staff members, and parents/guardians to form a Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity work group to improve our school community through conversations about equity and race. Group participants should expect to engage in personal reflection about race, and proactive dialogue about ways to work towards meaningful change to where all individuals in our school community feel a sense of belonging and feel heard and valued. Thank you to those who have already expressed interest in joining the group. If you are interested in being a part of the Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity work group and have not yet expressed your interest, please complete the 1-2 minute survey. 

 

I wish all of you and your families well through the final weeks of this school year.