THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 19, 2021 Page 9 LEARNING | FROM PAGE 1 ful to all who worked with us to make this possible for our students and families,” said Mayor Christenson, who is also chairperson of the Malden School Committee. In a letter to parents that he released in conjunction with his announcement, Supt. John Oteri said the return to the school building includes the use of a hybrid plan, meaning students would essentially be in classrooms for two days a week “live” and in a remote learning setting for the other three days. A key facet of the Malden plan is that technology will be in place so that all students, those in the classroom and those online in the remote setting, would be receiving the same “real time” instruction from the same educator, as the instruction would be “livestreamed” from the physical classroom. Supt. Oteri noted that the same operation has been in place for the past 11 days of hybrid learning for students in grades Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2, many of whom returned to their school buildings on Feb. 4, along with educators and staff . The Superintendent said the breakthrough and progress were made possible due to an agreement between the Malden Public Schools and the teachers’ union, the Malden Education Association (MEA). The Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) has been meeting since May 2020 to regularly discuss planning and strategy regarding a variety of topics, as of late the priority being students’ return to in-person learning. Though the in-person hybrid model will be off ered to all of the approximately 4,500-5,000 students in Grades 3-12, it is also allowed for students to remain in remote learning if they and their parents/caregivers choose that option. For instance, just over 50 percent of the approximately 1,200 students in Pre-K-Grade 2 chose to come to school in-person/hybrid. Using those numbers, school offi cials are anticipating between 50-60 percent of the Grades 3-12 students will be back in classrooms in the coming weeks and months. Following is the tentative Malden Return-to-Classrooms timeline released by Supt. Oteri and Mayor Christenson on Friday afternoon. Below is the tentative timeline for having our students and staff Supt. Oteri’s Letter to Families on Return to School for Grades 3-12 Dear Malden Public Schools Families, I am pleased to share that the Malden Public Schools has reached a tentative agreement with the Malden Education Association regarding a timeline for welcoming back our students in grades 3-12 for in-person learning. In making this transition, we will use a hybrid model similar to the one we have implemented for grades Pre-K to 2. Students will spend part of each week learning in person, with the rest spent learning remotely. Within our buildings, we will implement CDC-recommended protocols and practices designed to keep our students, staff , and families safe. This includes maintaining six feet of distancing, requiring masks or cloth face coverings, and encouraging frequent hand washing. We will also continue to offer a remote-only learning option for families who request it. Next week, we will send out a link to a survey, asking families to indicate whether their student(s) will move forward with our hybrid model or continue with 100% remote learning. After each group of students returns, our Joint Labor Management Committee will review COVID-19 data in our schools and community, reevaluate the timeline, and assess how successful each return has been. The committee will then vote on whether or how to move forward with future phases. We will share more details with families regarding these transitions, student cohorts, health and safety protocols, transportation, meal services, and other important information in the near future. in grades 3-8 return for in-person learning: March 8: Staff for grades 3-4 return to our buildings. March 15: Students in grades 3-4 begin hybrid learning. March 22: Staff for grades 5 and 8 return (including grades 5-8 exploratory teachers). March 29: Students in grades 5 and 8 begin hybrid learning. April 5: Staff for grades 6-7 beJohn Oteri Superintendent Again, thank you for your flexibility and patience now and throughout this school year. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school principal. Sincerely, John Oteri, Superintendent Malden Public Schools gin hybrid learning. April 12: Students in grades 6-7 begin hybrid learning. Below is the tentative timeline for Malden High School students: March 15: All high school staff return to the building. March 22: Students in grades 9 and 12 begin hybrid learning. April 5: Students in grades 10 and 11 begin hybrid learning. Supt. Oteri stressed the strict adherence to protocols designed to ensure the health and safety of students, educators, administrators and staff. “The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount. Within our buildings, we will implement CDC-recommended protocols and practices designed to keep our students, staff , and families safe. This includes maintaining six feet of distancing, requiring masks or cloth face coverings, and encouraging frequent hand washing,” Supt. Oteri stated in his letter to parents and families Friday. The Superin t enden t also noted that monitoring COVID-19-related data in this city also showed some positive trends, helping lead to the agreement since: • Malden has had more than 14 days of declining cases • The percent positive rate for Malden is lower than it has been in 12 weeks • The rate of transmission of COVID-19 is below 1.0 in Massachusetts.
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