Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 26, 2021 Supt. Oteri’s letter to the Malden Public Schools community on return to full in-person learning Dear Malden School Community, Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) announced a requirement that all K-5 students must return to full-time in-person learning by April 5. On Monday, March 15, the Malden School Committee voted unanimously to direct the Malden Public Schools to seek a waiver to delay the return of K-5 students for full in-person instruction. This waiver has been denied by DESE officials in a letter sent to the district today. The positive experience MPS has had in providing hybrid instruction to PK-4 students over the past several weeks was a factor in DESE’s decision. Our principals, educators, and staff have done an incredible job preparing our buildings for in-person learning. We remain extremely grateful for their efforts. As a result of the state’s decision, MPS will begin in-person instruction, five days per week, for grades K-5 on Monday, April 5. Additionally, students in grades 6-8 will begin in-person learning five days per week on Wednesday, April 28. To learn more, I invite you to attend our virtual town hall forum on Tuesday, March 30, at 6:00 p.m. During the forum, we will explain the impact of the waiver denial and provide additional information related to the return of students to our buildings. You can attend the forum through the following Zoom link: ht tp s: // ci t yofmalden. zoom.us/j/94724675068?pwd=Y0NoSG90bGtsQ2NMeDhYcG9sT3RKdz09 Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA. cityofmalden.zoom.us Passcode: 297405 Or One tap mobile: US: +16465189805,,94724675068# o r +19294362866,,94724675068# Or Telephone: Dial: US: +1 646 518 9805 or +1 929 436 2866 Webinar ID: 947 2467 5068 We will provide further updates in advance of next week’s town hall meeting. For now, we continue to work to reconfigure classrooms to meet the latest guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and World Health Organization, which calls for maintaining at least 3 feet of distancing between students in schools. Pool testing is also underway in our schools. This process involves combining test samples from several people and conducting a single laboratory test on the combined pool of samples to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. Pooling is a good way to determine if there is significant spread among our school community while using fewer testing resources. Finally, we are working with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents to advocate for prioritized vaccinations for all our educators and staff. We are pleased to share that increasing numbers of our staff already have received their first dose. Giving all staff the opportunity to get vaccinated is a key component to our efforts to reopen our schools safely. As we have said many times before, we truly appreciate your flexibility and patience as we have managed the effects of the pandemic. If you have any questions about next steps, please contact your child’s school principal. Sincerely, John Oteri, Superintendent Malden Public Schools O’Malley hosts Waitt’s Mount Cleanup on April 11 S ocially distant cleanup event at Waitt’s Mount – come out and meet your neighbors and enjoy the amazing view atop the Mount! Here is the posting: https://www.facebook.com/ events/139761554644169 The DPW will be providing trash bags and a limited number of equipment/ tools. Please bring your own gloves/tools if you have them! Date: Sunday, April 11 (rain or shine). Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Location: 79 Leonard St., Malden. Parking is available on Leonard and Tremont Streets – walking distance from the MBTA Orange Line’s Oak Grove Station. DESE Office of Public School Monitoring to conduct required triennial review at Northeast Metro Tech W AKEFIELD – Superintendent David DiBarri reported that during the week of April 12 the Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School. PSM visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint and equal access to school programs for all students. In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The PSM review chairperson will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, PSM will interview the chairperson(s) of the district's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations. Parents and other individuals may call PSM Chairperson Moses Nduati at 781-338-3707 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements. Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide Northeast Metro Tech with a report with information about areas in which the school meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which it requires assistance to correct or improve practices.
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