2

Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 9, 2020 Malden Public Schools highest needs students return to classroom on October 13 Will be fi rst students for in-person learning of new school year By Steve Freker F or the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced a nationwide shutdown of school buildings in March, the doors of the Malden Public Schools will swing open on a limited basis next week. Many of Malden’s highest needs students will return to classrooms in all the schools for “live,” in-person learning on Tuesday, October 13. It will mark the fi rst time in seven months that students will be present in the district’s Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 school buildings. There has been no timetable set at this time for the return to the in-person classroom for the bulk of the over 6,000 students enrolled in the Malden district. Malden Superintendent of Schools John Oteri told the Malden School Committee at Monday night's meeting that the move for the high needs has been in the works for months, for a number of reasons. Supt. Oteri said, most notably, that he and his central administration cabinet have been aware that educators and parents have expressed frustration at the diffi - culty high-needs students have encountered in the distance learning model. These sentiments were illustrated in a recent rally held by the citywide Special Education Parents Action Committee (SEPAC), which was attended by Superintendent Oteri, Mayor Gary Christenson, Assistant Superintendent and Special Education Director Pamela MacDonald, School Committee Members Adam Weldai and Jennifer Spadafora, SEPAC parents and others. COVID-19 pandemic led to spring remote learning switch Distance learning, also known as remote learning, supplanted traditional, in-person learning in mid-March when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Malden offi cials now refer to the swift changeover to remote learning, where educators teach classes through Chromebooks and laptop computers, as well as iPhones, as “crisis learning.” Over this past summer, many hours of work was put into developing a highly eff ective, much more robust remote learning plan for all seven Malden Public Schools (MPS) buildings. “We are excited about this and looking forward to having out highest needs students back,” MacDonald said. MacDonald told the School Pamela MacDonald Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services and Special Education all students, Supt. Oteri told the School Committee. But still, the plan has remained for the highest needs students to return to in-person learning as soon as possible. Those students categorized as “high needs” include substantially separate special needs students who are intellectually and/or physically challenged and students enrolled in the Pathways alternative learning programs citywide. As of Monday night’s meeting, a total of 198 high-needs students were expected to be welcomed back to the classroom citywide on October 13. Nearly 200 high-needs students expected back According to recently apBanking with a hometown touch. Open a free checking account with no monthly fees, and get access to Mobile Banking, Bill Pay and other features. Because no matter where you go, we’re right by you. Call or visit us to sign up. 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 61 7-38 7 - 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 781-7 76- 4444 WWW.EVERET TBANK . COM pointed Assistant Superintendent MacDonald, who was formally introduced to the School Committee by Supt. Oteri at the meeting, that number represents about 72 percent of the pool of students who were deemed eligible to return to in-person learning in the highneeds group, using state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines. Assistant Supt. MacDonald handles pupil services, including supervising the Special Education Department, which includes all of Malden’s highest needs students. A total of 275 students districtwide met the DESE criteria. This included students from Committee members that parents of the high-needs students were all contacted individually and off ered the option of coming to school in-person or staying with remote learning. “Initially, about 55 percent of the parents and caregivers chose to come back [to in-person classrooms]. There’s been a lot of movement over the past few weeks,” she said. In response to a question from Ward 3 School Committee Member Jennifer Spadafora, MacDonald confi rmed all returning high-needs students would be attending classes in their regularly assigned schools, not in a central location. “We had to shuffl e a few of the classrooms, but students will be attending class in the schools they were originally assigned.” Students will return to originally assigned buildings Supt. Oteri added the district was also advised to keep the students and their originally assigned buildings by Malden Health Department Director Chris Webb for safety reasons, based on limiting travel and maintaining social distancing. “We heard loud and clear from our Special Ed and ELL [English-language learners] parents that prefer to have their students in a classroom, and we have taken and will continue to take every precaution and action necessary to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all of our students, educators and staff members as they return to our school buildings on October 13,” Superintendent Oteri told the School Committee members. ANGELO’S FULL SERVICE "42 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2020 Right by you. Regular Unleaded $1.879 MidUnleaded $2.399 Super $2.459 Diesel Fuel $2.279 Member FDIC Member DIF KERO $4.159 Diesel $2.099 HEATING OI 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS Prices subject to change HAPPY FALL! Y FLEET

3 Publizr Home