THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 24, 2020 Page 5 SCHOOL | FROM PAGE 1 dent of Schools John Oteri reported Wednesday that over 3,700 responses have been recorded. “This means that between 75-80 percent of Malden Public Schools families gave feedback and shared their thoughts and potential concerns on returning to school in September,” Supt. Oteri said. “We are very pleased to receive such a tremendous number of responses to a survey on such an important topic.” Town Halls planned next week on survey results The Superintendent said he and his staff along with MPS Re-Entry Advisory Task Force members are now studying the survey results, with the intent of sharing them with the public next week at a series of virtual Town Halls, which will be presented online in conjunction with the offi ce of Mayor Gary Christenson. The Town Halls, which will include citizen participation in a Zoom Meeting format, are tentatively planned for Tuesday, July 28, 7:00-8:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 30, 5:00-6:30 p.m.; and Friday, July 31, 12:001:30 p.m. The Town Halls will be broadcast online through links to the City of Malden website, and more information is available on the MPS website at www.maldenps.org and cityofmalden.org. “The virtual Town Halls will be community listening sessions. It will be another opportunity for our school families to receive information, give feedback and ask questions regarding the return of their children to the school environment in September,” Supt. Oteri said, explaining that the Advisory Task Force recommended establishing the listening sessions after discussing the survey response at its most recent meeting Tuesday. The COVID-19 pandemic closed schools statewide in midMarch, with Malden one of the fi rst districts to close individually before the state mandate. Malden, like nearly every school in Massachusetts and nationwide, shifted into a remote learning educational model which lasted until the end of the academic year in June. Return-to-school plan in the works Since before school ended on June 19 and to the present, Supt. Oteri, his central staff cabinet, other staff members and the Re-Entry Advisory Task Force have been working continuously on developing a return-toschool plan for the district. He has stressed the plan’s top priority is protecting the safety and health of students, their families and MPS personnel while providing essential academic instruction. “We have been meeting frequently and exchanging ideas and information while at the same time monitoring and evaluating the latest guidance from a number of sources at the local, state and federal level,” Supt. Oteri told The Malden Advocate. The Central Staff cabinet is still awaiting the newest guidance from Commissioner Jeff rey Riley of the Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which is expected in early August. Three diff erent returnto-school plans being formulated Working on the mandate of the last DESE directive in June, Malden school officials are now compiling three different return-to-school formats. Superintendent John Oteri They include a full traditional in-person school day; a completely remote learning model, which was used from midMarch to end of school this year; and a hybrid model, comprised of a mix of in-person and remote learning. Some hybrid models discussed around the state have cited potential interchanging full “A” and “B” weeks of in-person and remote learning. “We have made a lot of progress toward formulating a safe, complete and suitable reentry plan for the Malden Public Schools,” Supt. Oteri said, “and we await the newest guidance from DESE and Governor Baker’s offi ce on returning to school before we fi nalize our district’s return-to-school recommendation.” Supt. Oteri said that details of the district's return-to-school plans remain “in the works” and when completed, will be presented to the public in August, before the start of school in September. All updates in returnto-school plan in eight language translations Like the survey, which was 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family www.eight10barandgrille.com We Have Reopened for Dine-In and Outside Seating every day beginning at 4 PM Return-to-school will not resemble this scene from last fall’s “Back to School Night” at Malden’s K-8 Forestdale School. Over 3,700 responses to a Malden Public Schools Family Survey regarding return-to-school procedures were received. (Steve Freker Photo) available to Malden school families in eight language translations, so will the executive summaries of the final version of the return-to-school plans. “It is vital that our families understand what we are planning and what protocols will be in place so as to address their individual concerns,” Supt. Oteri said. “Through this entire process, our priority has remained the same: protecting the safety and health and of our students, their families, our educators, administrators and staff while at the same time safeguarding our students’ academic equity and integrity,” he added. “We are glad our families have already taken on an important role in providing valuable, much-needed feedback to guide and assist our reentry planning,” Supt. Oteri said. “We look forward to next week’s community listening Town Halls to get even more information from those families within the district.” The Superintendent made particular mention of the continual work being done toward the formulation of the district’s reentry plan. “I would like to commend the members of our Re-Entry Advisory Task Force and those from the central staff cabinet who have been working diligently and tirelessly through these summer weeks on establishing a safe and effective reentry plan for our district,” he said. In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 STAY SAFE!
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