In response to this letter from Newton’s doctors and scientists, a majority of the City Councilors sent this letter to the City today. The letter outlines four steps that they are urging the Newton School Dept to take to help get our students back in school safely.
They ask that:
(1) establish public health parameters for a safe return to school this year
(2) form an expert advisory committee;
(3) expand testing of NPS employees
(4) plan now for full in-person learning next year.
Thank you CC!
I think at the last CC Programs and Services Meeting the Councilors did a good job asking the right questions. They were trying to determine who was ultimately responsible for making decisions and what metrics were those people using for those decisions. They weren’t getting many answers. It also became apparent that experts have been offering their assistance since July. The Mayor needs to deploy an expert medical panel now. We have world class experts that we are not taking advantage of. There needs to be clarity on what the metrics are and the people making decisions need to be accountable. There should be coordinated efforts rather than was is occurring right now where everyone seems to be saying things are someone else’s responsibility. Thank you City Councilors who signed this letter. Thank you for advocating for our kids.
Thank goodness the CC is doing their job. We are nearly half way through the school year, and elementary and middle schools are “back to school” for about 8 hours per week. High schoolers are NOT back. The meeting said there have been 133 cases in total in NPS, including in person and at home learners. There has been 1 case of in school transmission.
We need to get the students who want to return to school for more hours, back into the buildings.
We need to get the students/teachers testing weekly (twice a week for best results). This is something that the NTA has requested since the summer. WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG????
AND, the high school ventilation reports are NOT posted.
We need to get our city leaders to get more students back sooner, we need NPS to provide testing NOW and we MUST open our schools in September, 2021. We know more now. We need to education our students in the school for those who want to be in school. We are moving at the speed of a turtle. Our students need us to move quicker. We need testing now. Stop debating.
I think what folks with kids in the schools, or people like me with a kindergartener entering school this fall, can’t understand is why these ideas–which are so sensible–haven’t been put in place by the City before now. While the pandemic is an extraordinary event, the trajectory of the disease throughout society was predicted by experts many months ago. While the timing of steps is always uncertain, the underlying actions needed to prepare the schools for dealing with the disease and its aftermath have been evident. These are basic governmental functions, needed to give families and teachers, school nurses, custodians, and other staff comfort and assurance that the school environment is safely open for learning.
Very happy to see the city council get involved. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the school committee has to be dragged into doing this sort of work. Aren’t they the ones supposed to be leading the charge?
Also, I’ve said this before on this board and I’ll say it again. I see no reason why, with proper planning, we can’t have a return to full-time, in-person school in the late spring. The teachers & staff will be vaccinated by then and so will many members of the general public. I would happily accept somewhat “normal” months of May and June vs. just writing off the entire academic year.
Perspective of one Newton Middle School parent who chose full remote:
We chose full remote at the time *mainly* out of our deep concern that our child may infect a school staff person, or become a carrier and bring the virus home to us.
That’s why we chose full remote, and why we still believe in full remote learning for our child until vaccination makes everybody feel more comfortable.
When Middle School began in September, with all students learning remotely from their own homes, we observed immediately that a lot of learning was happening. Yes – this meant spending all day on a chrome book — but the day was filled with every teacher teaching new material to all the students in the class. Not ideal of course, but we thought that it was best and safest option, and we were happy that our child was learning new material.
When the Middle Schools went to a hybrid approach — with teachers instructing some students in the class while simultaneously instructing other students from their homes at the same time — things immediately and clearly took a turn for the worse. We noticed right away that much less learning was happening. Classes seem to be simply canceled on a regular basis. At one point, a teacher had to go on leave for 6 weeks, and there was no substitute available, so students were supposed to learn the material ON THEIR OWN for weeks on end. After all — who would be very comfortable accepting the risk of becoming a substitute teacher inside a public school at this time?
Again, it is very obvious to us that our Middle School student was learning much more while all students were remote and safer (physically) – but for the sake of going hybrid (for what — 6 or 8 hours/week in the building?), learning for *all* students seemed to be suddenly cut in half, at best.
I understand that everybody learns differently, that everybody has a different experience, and that there are clear social/psychological concerns — we have all had to pay an awful psychological price – students and adults alike. But we are resilient.
Point: What may seem clear to others — the need to get back to school ASAP — is not at all clear to me. I still don’t want to be the parent that advocates something that our school staff believes would put their lives and the health of their families in jeopardy.
I would have definitely preferred that Middle School would have just stayed fully remote for all students until the vaccine com es out — then we can all celebrate when we can be vaccinated and *everybody* can finally go back to in-person learning.
I’d like to know if the candidates for the Ward 1 and Ward 2 at large seats would have signed on to this letter. Ward 1: John Oliver and Maddy Ranalli. Ward 2: Bryan Barash and Tarik Lucas.
Dear AI,
Re: “I still don’t want to be the parent that advocates something that our school staff believes would put their lives and the health of their families in jeopardy.”
I don’t know of anyone who disagrees on this point. Who would want our teachers and other staff to work in an environment that they consider too risky? I think most people have a high regard for the staff and want them to feel comfortable in the decisions that are made. I believe that the idea of the CC memo was to suggest that the City needs expert help in determining what factors are relevant to making the re-opening decisions, precisely so everybody can have confidence in the direction and timetable that are adopted.
Let’s focus on the evidence. The evidence from Europe where schools largely remained opened often shows that school teachers have a lower rate of COVID infection rate than the general population. For example, Google “Open Schools, Covid-19, and Child and Teacher Morbidity in Sweden,” and you can read some thing from last week’s New England Journal of Medicine.
I also applaud the CC letter and involvement. I’m happy to see that 16 City Councillors signed, up from 12 who signed the first letter.
What concerns me is despite everything, we simply see no sign of change from our Mayor, School Committee, and School Administration. There’s no greater sense of urgency, no ask for additional planning assistance that I’m aware of. We’re not hearing anything about plans for next year, or any planning to address the “learning gap” that’s developed since the pandemic began.
I’m not sure what it will take? The next election isn’t for another 10 valuable months. We can’t afford to continue at same course and speed for another 10 months…our children and their education is too important. I struggle with what actions we can take now vs. next November. Our City Government, and many of its leaders, don’t seem up to the moment. We need fresh thinking and ideas now. What this means for next November’s election couldn’t be clearer though.
@Casey,
Yes, I would have signed onto this letter. It is important that we safely re-open our schools so that our children can receive the much needed in-person learning.
@Casey, All
While I respect that the School Committee is primarily responsible for NPS, I am grateful that our city council is continuing to offer their support and leadership on this matter. We need to work together on this.
I would have signed this letter.
Let’s put the science and Newton’s scientists to work to get our schools open for in-person learning SAFELY. And let’s do it ASAP.
I applaud the CC on this- thank you
@Casey – I would have signed the letter. I’ve been advocating for surveillance testing and a process driven by medical experts, and the public health response is definitely a city decision – in partnership with our schools.
I also want to point out that the councilors are exactly right that parents deserve a plan for the upcoming 2021-22 school year as soon as possible. With input from our medical experts, we need to determine when and under what public health conditions full in person learning will be resumed, and what public health conditions would prevent that from happening.
Tarik and Bryan, would you have signed the earlier letter by the 5 councilors?
Jeffrey –
If you mean this letter (here on V14)
https://village14.com/2020/10/27/city-council-weighs-in-on-schools/
I would have signed that one too.
Please keep up the pressure!
Even though it is tempting to continue the status quo until the end of the year, forcing the schools to add more in class time in the spring will go a long way getting school back to normal in the fall.
Al: teachers are much more likely, as in 100x more likely, to get covid out in their normal social activities than they are at socially distanced school with kids that don’t spread it.
People are ignoring AI’s point that LESS learning and MORE stress is going on in the hybrid model than fully remote. So we’re putting students, teachers, staff, and all their families at higher risk for less learning and more mental health problems. It’s very problematic.
Like Al, we’ve chosen fully remote for our high school student. That was his preference and the preference of all his friends as well. His comment was “why would I want to go back?” He pointed out that it’s risky and that he wouldn’t be with his friends anyway, because few are in his classes and he wouldn’t be allowed to socialize with them outside of class. (He’s not really aware yet that there will be less instruction.)
I’m glad that the CC is getting thoughtfully involved. In addition to consideration of health and safety, there also need to be instructional considerations that are not currently being addressed.
@Jeffrey Pontiff
Yes, I would have signed that letter.
@ Newton Upper Falls Resident – I am not in a position to comment on high school. But I can assure you that remote school does not work for K-3 students, both from a pedagogical and socio-emotional point of view.
They need to be back in class, full-time in-person, ASAP.
There are many nuanced and emotional views on this issue. As an NPS parent who has closely followed the City’s management of schools this year, everyone should be aware that much of the parents’ frustration is not necessarily due to the kids not being 100% in school today. We are not blind to the world and – despite what some rabble-rousers claim – care deeply about our teachers’ safety. Statements like “I keep my child home because I wouldn’t want to infect our teachers” may be well intentioned but not-so-implicitly question the ethics of parents who don’t have that option (for a variety of reasons).
What is a large source of frustration is the perceived bureaucratic failure to robustly and aggressively analyze and implement all possible solutions that would increase safe in-person learning. The NPS administration is overwhelmed. On the School Committee call last night, NPS Ass’t Superintendent Mary Eich stated point blank “there are no plans to increase in-person time”. While I did not like the message, I empathize with her position and appreciate her directness. They need help. The School Committee and Mayor need to urgently take the City Council’s recommendation, and innovate other solutions. Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
NUFR:
It isn’t “risky” for your high school son to attended socially distanced high school. There is a strong body of evidence that it wouldn’t even be “risky” for him to attend totally normal high school. You have the right to make your own choices for your your family but spreading ideas like this is incredibly damaging to the 80% of students who would prefer to be back in school.
what type of outreach has the mayor and the SC applied to parents and teachers??
Thank you to the city council for keeping the pressure on. Extraordinary lack of leadership from the Mayor here to lead our city through the learning crisis at hand. So many smart people make their home here in Newton. They have all offered to help. We need to have them help get the schools open and kids back full time by Spring. With a transparent plan about how we get there.
I think I read you only need 15% of the registered voters in Newton to sign a petition to initiate a recall vote of the Mayor.
Note this statement from School Committee Chair Ruth Goldman in today’s Tab, “I don’t think we need an outside expert panel.” I think there are more chapters to come in this story, though, so stay tuned.