How do schools re-open?
A recent post asked What will the fall semester look like for K-12 schools? and explained that we are hearing from many districts planning for rolling closures, and anticipating the possibility that some parents will not want to send their children to schools even if the schools are open.
A recent post at Education Week by John Bailey and Rick Hess covers some similar ground, but goes further by exploring A Blueprint for Reopening This Fall: What Will It Take to Get Schools Ready? They review six “buckets of work” that include two (academics and distance learning) that we have touched on elsewhere. The other four categories are worth a mention, if only because those of us focusing on remote learning and online instruction can forget all the other concerns that school leaders face.
These categories are:
General considerations, including “coordination, communication, flexibility, and privacy protections.” Bailey and Hess highlight flexibility in particular—which we agree with strongly because we don’t believe anyone can know how the next school year is likely to play out. In addition, they mention the need to review privacy policies in light of new online learning and health concerns.
School operations, taking into account social distancing and public health guidance, with respect to classrooms, other gathering areas, and transportation. “Schools will have to examine every aspect of the school day—from classroom spaces to class schedules—and adjust to address new public-health guidance. Gaps in meal service and distribution plans should be assessed and strengthened. And as for transportation, schools need to devise plans that reflect physical-distancing protocols. All of this will have obvious implications for staffing and costs and is a budget line that Washington should help address.”
Many advocates have identified the increased need for attention to social emotional learning. Bailey and Hess focus on whole-child supports: “Students are experiencing the pandemic in different ways with many going through significant trauma from school closures, friends and family members lost to the virus, and the insecurity created from parents losing jobs. Social-emotional learning and trauma supports will be critical not only during this period of remote learning but also in the next academic years.”
Finally, although much attention has (properly) been focused on teachers in the current circumstances, the article also highlights school personnel and in particular vulnerable populations who may be at-risk of returning to schools in the fall. “Many educators may be vulnerable to COVID-19, raising questions about how to protect them. Meanwhile, districts and teachers’ unions should work together to revisit aspects of their labor agreements to help schools adapt to social distancing and to ensure that vulnerable teachers are able to work in ways that are safe and productive. And as school budgets, responsibilities, and models evolve, schools and districts must be prepared to re-evaluate their staffing needs.
These and other points that Bailey and Hess make are a useful reminder that district leaders have to think about making instruction available online in the fall, while also considering countless other issues as well.