This past Wednesday the School Committee voted to go ahead with the “Hy-Flex” plan proposed by the High School Working group starting on Jan 27.
In a nutshell, the Hy-Flex plan will continue all the same classes, same teachers, on the same schedule, that students have been in since September. The difference is that at any time a fraction of the students will be in the classroom for two days and the rest at home on-line, in the same class. Each group (‘cohort’) of students will be rotated in for the in-person classes. Parents/students will also have the choice of remaining 100% on-line if they prefer.
Jerry, thanks for posting.
While I welcome a return, I remain somewhat mystified by any model with more than 2 cohorts where our HS kids would be in school 2 days/week. So many of our comparable communities have seemed to accomplish this.
The math on this also mystifies me. NNHS is a building with 413,000 sqft of all types…classrooms, gyms, corridors, offices, auditoriums, etc. To guarantee 6 foot spacing (and the assumption itself is conservative and controversial) an individual needs 36sqft during a class period. 2 cohorts with every student selecting hyflex is roughly 1300 people in the building…let’s call that 50,000 sqft. So how doesn’t this work? Also, what about trailers, or big tents for lunch…I don’t know what’s best but there MUST be a way?
Honestly, I DO NOT TRUST the school administration any longer. The lack of transparency here to the public about this calculation is a huge issue. There’s an attitude that seems to emanate from the School Committee that so disappoints me. Once again, the prevalent attitude seems to avoid finding ways to make this happen vs looking for ways to just get it done (2 cohorts).
Here’s my last point…are 3-4 cohorts and the number of in person days each would give even worth the transition? I honestly don’t know. I struggle with this. But I’m tremendously disappointed with our leaders, all the way to the top for not raising this. It’s almost as if there’s a cynical strategy to somehow torpedo the process. While I doubt that’s really the case, that these issues haven’t already been vetted publicly just mystifies me.
More – after reading the materials sent to HS parents about the Hyflex transition, it seems apparent that Gov. Baker’s tops down pressure to get learning in house is what’s driving this decision. Kudos to the Governor. To me, the 3 or 4 cohort options are Newton’s grudging tip of our hat to the Governor’s pressure (I assume backed up by financial support or lack thereof). However, in the school material 2 cohorts aren’t even mentioned. This decision against (it seems) has already been made. So, I come back to, what makes Newton different in not being able to get to 2 cohorts which would be the most days in school for students short of returning full time? Hard to say. Do we have a stronger and more challenging teacher’s union to deal with? I suspect this is a part of it.
Michael, I couldn’t agree with you more. When there is no will, there is no way, that seems to be the attitude that Newton decided to take all the way back in March are they are continuing with this approach.
I am equally disappointed in the result of the working group. Somehow, in many other districts, they were able to return to full-time learning without any groups or committees or drama. They just made a decision that this is the best thing for the students, and everyone rallied behind that. In Newton, we seem to have a large group of very vocal teachers. Not only are they spamming social media with fear and disinformation, but they are also attacking parents who dare to oppose them (and glorify anyone that supports them) this, in my opinion, is even worse than not going back to school. The fact that we have this type of dialogue with our teachers is unacceptable.
To your point, there is no trust anymore in our leadership. They seem to have seized this opportunity to advance their own agenda rather than consider the common good and so far, they are winning the battle. But I assure you, in the long run, they will lose the war.
@michael Slater yes that’s exactly it. Why can’t Newton do what it’s peer districts have been doing since September? Why the six feet? HHS dictates 6 feet without masks and 3 feet with Masks. The Newton School Committee gives no explanation as to why it’s 6 feet. It’s time to get the students in school and not twice a month.
Why is Newton’s lame “hybrid” plan so different from all of our peer’s hybrid plans?
In our peer hybrid plans, they have only 2 cohorts so their kids are in school 50% of the time, but in Newton’s lame plan we have 3 or even 4 cohorts (and Wednesdays are “all asynchronous”) so our kids likely will be in school less than 20% of the time!
In all other hybrid plans, they started by October or earlier and will have been in school most of the year, but in Newton’s lame plan, our kids are not starting until practically February when the school year is half over!
In all other hybrid plans, they have actual, real in-person classes (where they can have in person discussions and even do science labs), but in Newton’s lame plan we hold every kid down to the lowest common denominator, so our kids who go into schools will still be locked into Zoom classes!
In all other hybrid plans, they have actual homework, tests and real grades, so the kids, teachers and schools are given real challenges and held to real accountability, but in Newton’s lame plan, we have only “in class work” and fake grades!
Newton’s lame plan is a “hybrid plan” in name only. In truth, it really just is a way for NPS to grudgingly pretend to do something and try to fool parents (and state regulators) by calling it a “hybrid plan,” while in actuality they are just continuing on their total abandonment of our kids’ educations since March 12, 2020.
Shame on NPS for proposing a plan that is not half as good as what every peer community has already implemented for over a month.
And even more shame is on our School Committee for not apologizing to the students, parents and teachers of Newton for their poor management of the situation, for uncritically approving this lame plan, and for having the nerve to pat each other on the back as if this lame “plan” isn’t objectively inferior to every single peer community.
Good thing we moved to Newton “for the great public schools”!
What do people think is going to happen next year? Are they trying to encourage families to apply out of the district? It almost seems intentional in that way, unfortunately.
@Michael, I couldn’t agree with you more. When there is no will, there is no way, that seems to be the attitude that Newton decided to take all the way back in March are they are continuing with this approach.
I am equally disappointed in the result of the working group. Somehow, in many other districts, they were able to return to full-time learning without any groups or committees or drama. They just made a decision that this is the best thing for the students, and everyone rallied behind that. In Newton, we seem to have a large group of very vocal teachers. Not only are they spamming social media with fear and disinformation, but they are also attacking parents who dare to oppose them (and glorify anyone that supports them) this, in my opinion, is even worse than not going back to school. The fact that we have this type of dialogue with our teachers is unacceptable.
To your point, there is no trust anymore in our leadership. They seem to have seized this opportunity to advance their own agenda rather than consider the common good and so far, they are winning the battle. But I assure you, in the long run, they will lose the war.
I, too, am baffled about the decision to have 3 or 4 cohorts. The HS working group bench marked other schools and took a “deep dive”(according to NPS) on how other schools returned to in person learning. I have not heard anything about how these other schools manage to have two cohorts, but Newton needs to have 3 or 4. It is hard to believe that the configuration of Newton’s high schools is so different from any other community’s schools.
Attending school for what amounts to around 16 days per pupil the rest of the academic year is a token acknowledgment to the state that NPS is doing something and a middle finger to the parents who want their kids back in school. I wish I knew why NPS is so obstinate. While the union can share some of the blame, I place the majority of the blame at the foot of NPS, the School committee, and the Mayor. The mayor and the school committee held their ground when negotiating the most recent contract. While I am sure the NTA is strong, they certainly don’t control the situation. In fact, I wonder if having 3 or 4 cohorts is more difficult for teachers than just having 2 groups.
What frightens me most is the next school year. NPS seems to be unable to strategically plan for the future. If it took them this long to come up with a three or four cohort plan, I have zero confidence that they will be able to offer full in person learning for 2021-2022. Vaccines haven’t been tested on kids so the likelihood that they will be mass vaccinated by next fall is doubtful. If they are going to have 3 or 4 cohorts this year,what will be different next year that would cause NPS to commit to full time in person learning. Covid-19 will still be here next fall. What was once a proud school system has degenerated into a leaderless system that is unable to think creatively and truly recognize the toll remote learning is having on our children’s emotional and social well being
This plan would not have been a bad start if we were talking about beginning the plan in September and but it’s going to begin at the end of January, Based on how slowly NPS has moved I don’t see the plan being modified along the way. As people have said it is hard to understand why we could need up to 4 cohorts. We are a big district however there are comparable sized schools in other districts to each individual Hs. I worry about NPS’s capacity to creatively take advantage of space. Will they be matching physically larger classrooms with the larger size classes,etc? Will they be measuring the 6ft in the most efficient way to creatively allow the most students?
This plan implies maintaining existing schedules however one thing I do not see stated on the plan or in the Q&As (forgive me if I missed this somehow) but it has been stated in meetings that Wednesdays which are remote for all, will asynchronous rather than live teaching. Why if all are remote on that day, are the kids losing live instruction? Shouldn’t they be trying to capitalize as much live instruction as possible when it is already limited? I have heard it mentioned that they may use the day for potentially some more in-person but how would that be applied? In other areas they imply equity is a stumbling block South has done a poor job on bringing the kids in for in-person events. A book pick up was a disaster and certainly wasn’t an “event”. The PTSO has tried but the Administration has done little (watch the interaction between Aronson and Miller during the last School Committee Mtg). North on the other hand has had quite a few students in.
I completely agree with the frustrations expressed here. I am just wondering how we motivate change.
Newton HHS has created new guidelines which by my reading make it possible for us to move to 2 cohorts – 3ft when 6ft not possible. This is the same general message I got from Deborah Youngblood when I emailed her last week… “6ft can be modified based on new data” … the district just has to do it.
A move to 2 cohorts would be a positive step and at least a significant improvement on the current plan.
Who can make this happen? Fleishman, Romer? High school principals?
Once they have the numbers of students wanting to attend in person they will be creating a plan – does anyone know if this is at the district or at the school level?
Interested in who we can write to about this. We have a window to work with before they set up the hybrid plan. for the individual high schools.
I agree with Newton Highlands Mom’s point about Wednesdays. The reality is that Wednesday has become a mostly lost day for learning. I really don’t understand why? If our school leaders think the teachers need this to help regroup from the challenges of teaching in Hyflex that’s fine…but please just say so!
In the original hybrid schedules in other communities Wednesdays were a deep cleaning day. As we learn more about how Covid is transmitted is this still valid? I don’t know.
Bottom line I feel that we’re being asked to trust school administration. When it comes to education/teaching…of course that’s valid. But we’ve seen that the same leadership has repeatedly disappointed on planning and logistics. I don’t trust them here, and our City Government (save the letter from the 12 City Counselors) has largely been unsuccessful in filling any gaps. There’s no continuous learning/growth mindset, and that’s supposed to be our Superintendent’s big thing.
Listening to School Committee meetings and reading NPS communications has become a challenge in trying to figure out the true meaning behind barrages of verbiage camouflage.
We pay these people’s salary, why are we not allowed to get a clear understanding of their position?
16 in person school days. I don’t understand how the City Leaders (School Committee, Mayor, School Superintendent and City Councilors) could be proud of this fact. My kid COULD get 16 in person school days during the 9th grade year. Yippee. PATHETIC Leadership. New Bedford High School (2,000 kids) have been attending in person every other day for months and the KIDS and the TEACHERS interviewed on WBUR TRUST each other and the leadership. If New Bedford can do it, why can’t we do it?
PATHETIC leadership and refusing to get SAFE SCHOOL BUILDINGS for teachers and students. Will Newton offer a 13th grade for the next decade to make up for this lost year.
What about the 2021-2022 school year? They aren’t even planning for that yet.
Agreed that this whole process from March until now has been a case study in poor executive leadership.
Why did NPS even need a “working group?” In the private sector bosses send things to “committee” they want it to die or go slowly without taking the blame. That is exactly what happened in this case.
The mayor is #1 to me in the blame game. “Clearing the way” for others to make decisions and drive action during an emergency is AWFUL leadership. Many of us worried about her lack of understanding of public schools during the campaign. It looks like our worries were justified. The #2 slice of blame pie goes to the Superintendent. His lack of action is identical to the mayor’s only he covers it better with academic speak. The NTA has not been perfect during this emergency, but the cities leadership is mostly to blame.
The lack of true leadership in Newton reminds me of the disgrace we have as our current president. Our Mayor and the President had a chance to lead during this pandemic but they chose to delegate and double talk.
I can’t see why we would waste any time changing to the new arrangement for 16 days of Zoom sessions in the building.
Let’s put our energy in to voting the entire clown show (Mayor and SC) out during the next cycle……
For everyone in this thread and reading in agreement, PLEASE, send similar notes to most importantly the School Committee, and also individually to Mayor Fuller, your City Counselors. The letters matter and make a difference. It’s easy to tire of sending them, but when the volume drops off they seem to feel they’ve done enough which is of course crazy. I also wonder if letters to the Governor and Education Commission are needed to apply tops down pressure. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll get 2 cohorts unless maximum pressure is applied from every possible direction. Anything less than 2 cohorts is a total failure for Newton. It’s the only acceptable answer.
Case numbers are on a spectacular rise, yet restaurants and other indoor businesses are still open and being utilized. New Bedford, (referenced as an example of a high school to emulate,) now has double the new case incidence rate of Newton and New Bedford High School had 7 cases associated with it in the past 7 days. That is out of a population of 2,000 students. New Bedford is now in the ‘Red’ category which has an impact on what social activities are available to our children.
A vaccine for teachers is around the corner. Now is not the time to be opening the high school to in-person classes. Get the outbreak under control through a shutdown of businesses and activity. Start the distribution of the vaccine to first responders, the most vulnerable and essential workers. Then open the high schools to in person activity when it is safer.
Are we forgetting that the kids only meet three days per week per class? There’s no way to meet more than once a week even with two cohorts. They’ve said the schedule isn’t changing.
NNHS has decided to use Wednesday as asynchronous days to provide opportunities for in building field trips and activities to encourage the social interaction parents and kids say they need and crave for their mental health. NSHS isn’t doing this (yet) and is getting backlash from some parents because of that and support from others because they’re getting through more curriculum.
I know administration said that we’d get through 60% of curriculum remotely but I’m maaaaybe a week behind. Teachers have already looked ahead and figure out what to cut where and what next years teachers will need to fill in gaps for if there are any. Where administrators may be dropping the ball teachers are trying to pick up the slack. And none of my students are just getting As for showing up. I don’t give cumulative tests but do assess them in many different ways (more ways than ever) and the kids are being graded accurately. We seem to forget that most kids gets As in Newton anyway because they feel the pressure to achieve. They’re going to be fine. I don’t know how to assuage that fear in parents. But next year will be fine. Your kid will be fine academically. Please try to take that worry as the top priority down a notch.
I can tell you that most of my students are excited but very nervous to come into the building because they don’t trust their peers to follow rules and because safety protocols aren’t clear yet. I can tell you that teachers are nervous and there are people who live with elderly parents or at risk spouses and kids who had approval for remote teaching but now do not. I can tell you that administration has not officially asked for final numbers nor figured out what to do when those teachers have to take unpaid leaves to protect family members. I can tell you that those teachers are devastated to potentially let their students down and to receive backlash about making this decision in the middle of the year- a decision they didn’t think they’d have to make.
I can tell you it’s going to be an absolute nightmare when yet again they poll the students and families and then poll the teachers at the same time and realize this committee didn’t solve any of the problems Newton had as it relates to HS returning to the building: this committee polled parents and kids and staff and said “everyone wants to be back in school” which is what we already knew and used that to say we should be in school. But it didn’t address equity for remote learners, the building space issues ( which are much worse at South than North), and the problem with lack of teachers (which is much worse now that cases are rising and others schools that are testing are finding that hs students have much higher case rates than middle and elementary and that some teachers who didn’t need to take leaves will have to).
Please remember, this is an echo chamber. Just like the sites where parents unite to say schools aren’t safe right now. There’s many opinions and beliefs and we can find facts to support both sides. I think it’s important to read these 6ft doesn’t matter articles. I agree 6ft is arbitrary. But what the MIT and Oxford studies say is that what really matters is enclosed space, duration of contact, crowds, and forced exhalation. Working in an office is still listed as medium/high risk on these scales. Schools still qualify as medium/high risk.
I’m not trying to argue we should be back in school or not-so please don’t reply arguing that (because again I’m open to all arguments). I’m just pointing out that using the “6ft doesn’t matter” argument to say 3 feet is okay misses the point of these studies. And also to provide you with some insight into the difficulties that are ahead and haven’t been solved or addressed yet. It’s going to be a nightmare.
@Newton Teacher this really is a mess the whole way around. Leadership was lacking on so many levels.
So much time was wasted due to poor planning. NPS for floundering through the summer. Why did they have to wait until end of Sept/Oct to start reviewing and adjusting the HVAC systems? Why did the Mayor not approach this as an all hands on deck crisis? Why did she ignore the advice of Dr Walensky (future head of the cdc) and others?
As far as kids getting all As, maybe there is normally a high % of kids who get all As. Right now almost every kid I have heard about but 2 has gotten straight As and one child’s single B was in a PE based class and the others was in honors math. I am not so worried about the grades (though I would like them to be meaningful) or the lack of homework during this crisis but I am worried about the learning. I’m glad to Newton Teacher is feeling relatively good about the amount of curriculum being covered. That makes me hopeful but having a child who has been remote for a significant part of sophomore year and junior year I know they will not be ready for college. I know there are teachers doing a good job keeping expectations high and I am happy that my freshman has those teachers. My freshman is able to work independently and is in a better position to handle remote school.
@Newton Teacher I appreciate your reasoned approach. I appreciate your expressing your opinion here.
@Newton Dad – I have a relative who is a reporter for the national news and has been covering Covid . They send me daily news stories. I’ve read about different areas of the country and the world in areas where they are increasing restrictions and one thing I have consistently noticed is that they are keeping schools open. One recent example of this is Toronto which is on lockdown but keeping k-12 open. They are placing a priority on education. There are kids who are struggling and the routine of school makes a world of difference to them. I was in a small hospital’s emergency room recently and within @40 min two Hs age kids came in with suicidal thoughts.
I appreciate the thoughtful comments and discussion in this thread.
Curious what everyone thinks the future with vaccines looks like? A lot of the current discourse regarding schools seems premised on the notion that vaccines are around the corner, and all will be well shortly, so closing / limiting in-person school for the next few months is OK.
I guess my question is – is this a valid assumption? (a) Vaccine rollout may well take much longer than anticipated – it’s a massive logistical undertaking like nothing we’ve done before, many of these vaccines require ultra-cold storage and therefore can’t be administered at your local doctor’s office, etc.; and (b) what’s the threshold for a return to full-time school? Full vaccination of all teachers? 0 covid in the community? The former is likely to occur far sooner than the latter.
Tim I was listening to a podcast today called Future U which had the BU President as guest talking about college reopening. He made an interesting point that the comfort level that COVID is gone, is going to evolve over time which makes a lot of sense. It is not going to be a sudden the vaccine is out everything is good. First off you have the most at risk, essential workers getting the vaccine first and then cycling down to the general public. Info will be gained about the efficacy etc. That doesn’t even touch on the public perception that things are safe. Our current leadership in Newton worries me on this front. Mayor Fuller has been reluctant to take action. She didn’t create a medical task force, The medical experts should be guiding decisions and the Mayor should be transparent so that the citizens of Newton feel that decisions are based on science. This would make people more confident as things evolve. I think for awhile moving forward is going to involve knowing what the risks are and determining how to best mitigate those risks. We need to feel confident that the Mayor, SC and NPS Administration are making good decisions. They have lost quite a bit of credibility along the way. Confidence in our leaders’ decisions helps reduce fear and conflict that arises from that fear.