Transition to In-Person Learning
BY SOPHIE ZHANG '22
Extra desks marked with blue tape have invaded our classrooms as the administration plans out seating arrangements for our next schedule change. On May 3, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School will transition to full in-person learning. Both cohorts will come together, and in-person students will attend school every weekday. While some remain skeptical, this being the third schedule change this year, others including Superintendent Peter Light are excited for a sense of normalcy again.
The planning began on March 9 when the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that elementary schools grades K-5 must return to in-person school by April 5. The deadline for middle schools grades 6-8 is April 28. “These regulations are legally binding,” DESE wrote. “Any district that does not comply… will be required to make up any missed structured learning time.”
To accommodate both cohorts coming together, distancing will decrease from six to three feet, with students still facing the same direction. The cap for riding the bus has been removed for elementary school students, while grades 7-12 have a maximum of two students per seat.
More major adjustments were made to fit everyone inside the school. At the high school, it has been a challenge to accommodate larger classes, as most can only fit 26 students, according to Mr. Light. Meanwhile, at the elementary schools, the administration has had to order 350 more desks to replace tables, so that all students could face the same direction.
Even more concerning is lunch, when six feet of distance is still required. Elementary schools have divided classrooms so that one half will eat in the cafeteria while the other attends recess, and the junior high and high schools are in the process of adding more outdoor seating.
In their reasoning for the transition, DESE cited guidelines from the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, stating that three feet is a “safe standard for physical distancing when masks are worn and other mitigation strategies are in place.” Superintendent Peter Light used similar statistics in his presentation to the school committee. He stated that when people are masked, there is an inconsequential difference between exposure risks of six and three feet distances, with both being less than 0.5%.
Still, transmission is a likely possibility. Many students and faculty have family members at risk for contracting severe illness from the virus. Luckily, Mr. Light believes that all teachers will have at least one vaccine shot by the time school returns to full in-person. A community group has been volunteering and helping educators get appointments. In fact, around 100 teachers so far have requested appointments and gotten them within the next day.
However, “What I've been really impressed with is despite how any person feels about the risk of returning,” said Mr. Light, “once our teachers get in front of kids, the focus has all been about… making sure that we take care of our students first.”
DESE also noted that the need for increased in-person interaction has been a major factor in the transition. They wrote that in-person learning gives students the opportunity to learn important social and emotional skills while having access to important mental health support services. Mr. Light similarly believes that “one of the most valuable things we do as human beings is connect with each other.” Remote learning has taken a toll on everyone, and it has been harder to build a community. Light continues that “being able to talk with each other about challenging issues in a video conference is just not the same as sitting with someone in person.” Further, it will be a welcome relief to close the Chromebooks for a little while instead of Zooming all day long.
In the end, Mr. Light is looking forward to getting all of the students back in school. “It's been a long year for everyone, whether it's a student in first grade who’s trying to learn how to read and navigate early social skills, or it's our seniors who have been probably very anxious about closing out high school... It's just been a long year of unknowns,” but thankfully, “we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The planning began on March 9 when the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that elementary schools grades K-5 must return to in-person school by April 5. The deadline for middle schools grades 6-8 is April 28. “These regulations are legally binding,” DESE wrote. “Any district that does not comply… will be required to make up any missed structured learning time.”
To accommodate both cohorts coming together, distancing will decrease from six to three feet, with students still facing the same direction. The cap for riding the bus has been removed for elementary school students, while grades 7-12 have a maximum of two students per seat.
More major adjustments were made to fit everyone inside the school. At the high school, it has been a challenge to accommodate larger classes, as most can only fit 26 students, according to Mr. Light. Meanwhile, at the elementary schools, the administration has had to order 350 more desks to replace tables, so that all students could face the same direction.
Even more concerning is lunch, when six feet of distance is still required. Elementary schools have divided classrooms so that one half will eat in the cafeteria while the other attends recess, and the junior high and high schools are in the process of adding more outdoor seating.
In their reasoning for the transition, DESE cited guidelines from the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, stating that three feet is a “safe standard for physical distancing when masks are worn and other mitigation strategies are in place.” Superintendent Peter Light used similar statistics in his presentation to the school committee. He stated that when people are masked, there is an inconsequential difference between exposure risks of six and three feet distances, with both being less than 0.5%.
Still, transmission is a likely possibility. Many students and faculty have family members at risk for contracting severe illness from the virus. Luckily, Mr. Light believes that all teachers will have at least one vaccine shot by the time school returns to full in-person. A community group has been volunteering and helping educators get appointments. In fact, around 100 teachers so far have requested appointments and gotten them within the next day.
However, “What I've been really impressed with is despite how any person feels about the risk of returning,” said Mr. Light, “once our teachers get in front of kids, the focus has all been about… making sure that we take care of our students first.”
DESE also noted that the need for increased in-person interaction has been a major factor in the transition. They wrote that in-person learning gives students the opportunity to learn important social and emotional skills while having access to important mental health support services. Mr. Light similarly believes that “one of the most valuable things we do as human beings is connect with each other.” Remote learning has taken a toll on everyone, and it has been harder to build a community. Light continues that “being able to talk with each other about challenging issues in a video conference is just not the same as sitting with someone in person.” Further, it will be a welcome relief to close the Chromebooks for a little while instead of Zooming all day long.
In the end, Mr. Light is looking forward to getting all of the students back in school. “It's been a long year for everyone, whether it's a student in first grade who’s trying to learn how to read and navigate early social skills, or it's our seniors who have been probably very anxious about closing out high school... It's just been a long year of unknowns,” but thankfully, “we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
