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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-08-25-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday,August 25,2020 Conducted by Remote Participation MEETING MINUTES AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:00 p.m. Chair Kathleen Lenihan welcomed and introduced committee members SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Kathleen Lenihan, Chairperson Eileen Jay, Vice-Chair Deepika Sawhney Scott Bokun Sara Cuthbertson, Clerk STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Sara Mei SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent Mr. David Coehlo, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations Assistant Superintendent to Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development The minutes were taken by Kristen Cronin, Executive Assistant to the School Committee Ms. Lenihan read Governor Baker's Executive Order from March 12, 2020 which allows public meetings to be conducted remotely due to the state emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ms. Lenihan covered additional ground rules for an effective and clear conduct of business and to assure accurate meeting minutes. Ms. Lenihan thanked everyone who had written to the School Committee and participated in the Zoom chats with Dr. Hackett. Ms. Lenihan noted that members have read all of the emails and many have participated in the Zoom chats. She said Committee members are reading studies and countless articles of the challenges of reopening schools. There are no easy answers and they are struggling along with School Committees all over the country with how to do this as safely as possible. Ms. Lenihan said the Committee will continue to work collaboratively with Dr. Hackett to make a decision on moving forward in a way that best balances the health, safety, and well being of Lexington public schools students, staff, and their families. School Committee members honored and reflected on Mr. Dan Fenn who passed away on August 14, 2020. Mr. Fenn was a long time Lexington resident and public servant, as well as a dedicated teacher, and supporter of the democratic process. A moment of silence was held. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC COMMUNITY SPEAK: Katie Dobbins, LHS SPED teacher: Urged that the schools go fully remote for the Fall semester and reassess in the Spring. Studies show that children can be superspreaders of the virus. Jessica Goodstone, LHS history teacher: Returning to school building will not be normal; no group work, simulations, galley walks, etc. Hybrid simultaneous remote and in-school teaching is problematic; masks, hard to see/hear, can't project on board. If no subs and teachers must cover for each other, will lose valuable planning time and increase the number of exposures. Marilynn Summers, 3 Watson Road: Commented in support for the high school model and thanked the Scheduling Team for their efforts in making an excellent balance of safety and educational rigor. Great for the kids to get back into school even with masks and social distancing. Laura Shepard-Brick, LHS math teacher: With synchronous classes for in-person and remote, all group work will have to be done online, no larger group conversations are possible. In-person students will not get 1-on-1 attention. Full remote will allow for collaboration using online interactive tools. Vote for high school to go full remote. Dr. Avon Lewis, President of Lexington Education Association: Dr. Lewis stated that the LEA represents a vast majority of staff at the Lexington Public Schools. During this current crisis LEA and LPS have worked closely together and have confidence in Dr. Hackett's leadership and embrace her vision of a district that values the humanity in our children and in our staff. Dr. Lewis went on to say that LEA members have expressed an overwhelming desire to work remotely while the district has expressed desire to find ways to prioritize in-person learning. She said with that in mind, the LEA has worked with Dr. Hackett to develop a plan that will be presented tonight and has the LEA support. Dr. Lewis said the plan provides a phased-in model for most students, where they will each have a couple of days in the building, working in small groups, and learning the essential skills of a student in a pandemic classroom. While we know we won't be able to keep COVID out of the building, we can cultivate habits and practices that mean COVID won't transmit and that will help all of us feel safe and be safe. We have a number of unresolved issues to the phase-in that we are still working on. There will be staffing issues and coverage, quarantine guidelines, sick leave, and other concerns to work out through an MOA. Dr. Lewis on behalf of LEA and and LIPS ask you, the community of Lexington, to work with us to be sure we can all have a safe, productive and above all else, fun year with the kids. Andre Verner, LHS math teacher: Please implement a full remote start for our school. Hybrid reduces possible teaching practices, e.g., use of white boards, working 1-on-1. Will end up effectively with remote lessons that happen to be taught in person. Samantha St. Lawrence, LHS English teacher: Vote against hybrid model. How do we do logistics, monitor spread of Covid without on-site testing, address reductions in content (up to 50%), solve coverage if many teachers are absent?Asked to start remoting, phase in returning to school over time. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Kristen DePesa, LHS English teacher: Advocated for a phased-in remote program. Teachers are excited to find new ways of teaching under the remote model. Christen Walters, LHS English teacher: She and her colleagues crafted a letter to request that the School Committee reject the hybrid model and vote for a phased-in approach to reopening. Letter signed by 149 people and LEA has officially endorsed this position. Concerned that teachers will sit at a desk online while students sit in the classroom. Teachers' focus will be divided among those present and those remote. Suzanne Abair, 6 Millbrook Road: Was discouraged as a parent as a Lexington High School student that it was tough to get into this meeting and then hearing mostly from teachers and not getting perspective from parents. She does not feel it's fair to compare high school to college campus in regards to COVID. Ms. Aber fully supports the hybrid plan that was put out by the high school. Kip Connor, 6 Patriots Drive: Commented, "if we don't go back now when will we ever go back?" Kathryn Costa, LPS teacher (elementary & middle school): We will lose the expertise of dedicated teachers and staff who are forced to take a leave or retire due to childcare needs, their own health. Focus on robust remote program; maximize time on learning and socialization. Michaela Tracy, LHS math teacher: Many safety questions at LHS to be worked out. Hybrid is less safe and less pedagogically sound. Will be 1200 students and staff at LHS at all times. Worried about the equity gap if some people supplement their children's education outside of school. Betsy Wilkinson, 46 Mooreland Ave: Lexington has a low positivity rate right now. Going to school part time is a step toward normal. Social-emotional well-being, some contact with teachers and students. Christina Lin, 2 Eustis Street: Expressed concerns for the teachers. Work together in a remote safe setting until there is a safer situation; it would be the best scenario so educators can focus on educating. Shewta Jain, 3 Lawn Avenue: How do we teach 5 year olds to read through Zoom and how do we get the teachers to engage young kids at that level? Moumita Purkayastha, 21 Valley Street: Expressed concerns about the risk of the hybrid model. Difficult to conduct both in-person and hybrid teaching successfully at the same time. Ms. Purkayastha expressed concerns for the teachers as well. Concerned about what the response plan will be if COVID travels across the district. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Robin Strizak, LHS English teacher: Teachers are coming from 150 different communities. Lexington numbers are low now but may not stay that way. Everything you can do in a hybrid model you can do in a clear, more equitable way remotely. Ahmal Sahai, 34 Woburn Street: Calling in support of hybrid model. He works in hospital. Masks are key. Hybrid addresses the importance of social interaction, especially for elementary school. Francesca Pfrommer, LHS math teacher & LPS mentor coordinator: Approx. 40% of teachers applied to teach remotely, but decisions not yet released. Educators who are denied will have to choose between their careers and safety. Many requests for leaves of absence, retirement likely. Loss of talent and expertise. Bringing in many new educators is problematic. Dr. Hackett thanked everyone who spoke during public comment. She said this is a very difficult and complex issue to sort through and the district is going to do it's best to try and figure this out and hopefully get back to teaching and learning soon. CONGRATULATIONS & CELEBRATIONS: Dr. Hackett attended the Calculus Pro°ect TCP)graduation ceremony with Ms. Barbara Hamilton, Director of METCO and Student Engagement, and Dr. Chris Lyons, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Dr. Hackett extended her congratulations to three high school students, Kyra Cooper, Naomi Harris, and Alea Turner who were honored at the ceremony. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT: Dr. Hackett reported on the following: • LPS Back-to-School-Blueprint goes live • A Review of School Committee Vote on 7-28-2020 • An Update on Health Indicators from 7-28-2020 to the Present • Additional Pandemic-Related Updates and News You Can Use • The Benefits of an Integrated Remote Learning Academy (RLA) • Proposed Plan to Phase-In Hybrid For a complete copy of the Superintendent Report click here. Some notable new developments for return-to-school implementation that were discussed in Dr. Hacketts' report include: • High School Synchronous Model -The LHS Scheduling Team has developed a model for synchronous learning where students in Hybrid in-person weeks, Hybrid at-home weeks, and RLA will be taught simultaneously via live-streamed classes. More details will be presented by the LHS team this evening • An Integrated Remote Learning Academy (RLA) -At the elementary level, we started with a plan to have a separate school for remote learning. The enrollment numbers rose rapidly so that at almost every grade level there was one section of remote requests. So we decided to attach the RLAs to a school, rather than to combine across the district. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC • Proposed Plan to Phase-In Hybrid - Dr. Hackett is recommending a phase-in plan for the hybrid model so that we can take a little more time to approach it with some confidence. It would give opportunity to practice the procedures to keep things safe. It takes some time for students and teachers to become acclimated to a pandemic. The phase-in plan detailed in the Superintendents a=shows how hybrid students would be phased in at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. RESOLUTION ON STATE COVID TESTING Ms. Lenihan suggested discussing the resolution on the State COVID testing before getting into the discussion of the newly proposed plan to phase-in the hybrid model. She said the purpose for the resolution reflects on the Board of Health concerns that the Commonwealth does not have routine testing. Ms. Lenihan modified language used from the Worcester Public Schools to fit the needs of Lexington. Ms. Lenihan said we need the more frequent and routine testing that would interrupt a change of transmission and prevent the outbreaks that require the mobile response teams outlined by Governor Baker's proposal. Mr. Bokun moved to request the State have an ongoing routine, easily accessible free testing for all residents with a quick turnaround in operation across the state as soon as possible to facilitate students and staff returning to school in as safe a manner as possible; seconded by Ms. Cuthbertson. Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote -Approved 5-0 Members took a 5 minute break EH&E AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT Presenters: John McCarthy & Dave McIntosh, EH&E Environmental Health & Engineering, consultants Ms. Sawhney had a question about ventilation in the school buildings. Mr. McCarthy, EH&E consultant, responded and said natural ventilation is a big concern mostly for the older buildings. Mr. McCarthy said living in New England we need to come up with a longer solution rather than just opening up windows and putting in fans for when December rolls around. That is the mentality that EH&E considers when looking at classroom buildings. Mr. McCarthy reported that the classrooms that are operable (windows open) meet the filter and clean air rates necessary without having to open up the windows. Ms. Sawhney asked Mr. McCarthy about the CDC guidelines about outdoors and opening windows. He said if the duct work system cannot meet the standard recommendations for the guidelines, then consider natural ventilation (opening up windows). If this still does not meet the guidelines then add supplemental air cleaning, such as HEPA filters. Mr. McCarthy reported that none of the classrooms are struggling to meet the standards. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Ms. Jay commented that some rooms at the high school become overly hot. Does opening a window enhance the air exchange in a good way from a COVID point of view or are you compromising the HVAC system's ability to filter air? Mr. McCarthy said people misunderstand at times the difference between indoor air quality and comfort. He noted that you can have a comfortable hot/cold room from a temperature standpoint, but it might not have any fresh air because your indoor air quality is very poor. Mr. McCarthy said there is no problem with opening up a window if it is too hot, it does not interfere with the HVAC system. Ms. Jay asked if the air exchange is the main concern when looking at health risks for COVID. When they do the exchange testing are they looking at what the circulation patterns might be? Mr. McCarthy replied that when they are doing an indoor air quality standpoint they are looking at a steady state in the room. When an equilibrium has been established that is what they are using as an indicator (Co2) to establish how much outdoor air is coming in. Ms. Jay asked when the "punch list" would be completed? Dr. Hackett replied that 171 items and all would be complete by August 31, 2020 and then EH&E would come in and check the work. DISCUSSIONS/QUESTIONS ON PRE-RECORDED SCHEDULING PRESENTATIONS Elementary Schedule: Presenters: Elementary Principals—Jenny Corduck, Bowman; Meg Colella, Bridge; Lisa Riendeau, Estabrook; Brian Baker, Fiske; Jackie Dailey, Harrington; Louise Lipsitz, Hastings A pre-recorded video of the Elementary Scheduling Presentation was viewed by School Committee members in advance and was made available to the public. School Committee members had the following questions for the elementary principals: Ms. Cuthbertson: If elementary families are struggling with their child's schedules where/who can they go to and ask for help? Ms. Meg Colella, Principal at Bridge Elementary, said families should start at the building level and suggests that going to the classroom teacher is the first place to start. Ms. Cuthbertson: Who will be staffing the elementary Remote Learning Academy? Looking for clarification if teachers that will be teaching in-person will also be teaching kids synchronously. Parents are asking. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Ms. Louise Lipsitz, Principal at Hastings Elementary said because of the increased number of students in the Remote Learning Academy (RLA) enrollment right now, every school will dedicate a teacher from that building for the Remote Learning Academy (RLA) students. Parents should know it will be a Lexington Public School staff member that will be staffing that Remote Learning Academy. Ms. Sawhney: How can you be sure there is equity across the two modalities? Will the RLA students get the same attention as hybrid? Ms. Colella: For hybrid students in their remote week, we have planned synchronous opportunities with classroom teachers as well as specialists. In the RLA, we are designating more synchronous time for RLA so that it mirrors what in-person hybrid looks like Ms. Lipsitz added that the staffing is the same as if all children were at school. Counselors are available to support children whether in the remote learning or hybrid model. Occupational therapists are available for children who need that service regardless of which learning platform they are on. Ms. Jay asked how the bathrooms would be managed and how many students would be allowed to go in at a time. Also, how good is the ventilation in the bathrooms? Ms. Jenny Corduck, Principal at Bowman, said teacher's will have to be creative around students congregating in the bathrooms. Dr. Hackett responded to Ms. Jay's question regarding the ventilation in the bathrooms and said she would circle back to EH&E to see what the recommendations are around the bathroom spaces to see if the air quality is the same in the bathroom spaces as it is in the classroom spaces. Dr. Hackett will ask them to address this issue in the report if they haven't already. Ms. Lenihan asked what happens with Remote Learning Academy in the elementary if everyone was to go back to full remote. Ms. Colella replied that the Remote Learning Academy would be kept separate. Our Hybrid teachers would be fully prepared to go remote if they have to. They are mirroring the hybrid schedule with the Remote Learning Academy schedule, however, they would still stay separate because each teacher is going to create their own community . Middle School Schedule: Presenters: Dane Despres, Clarke Middle School; Jen Turner, Diamond Middle School A pre-recorded video of the Middle School Scheduling Presentation was viewed by School Committee members in advance and was made available to the public. School Committee members had the following questions for the middle school principals: LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Ms. Cuthbertson asked if the hybrid and RLA students in the Gold week would be synchronous with those teachers in the classroom or will there be separate other teachers teaching the RLA vs. whose teaching the hybrid? Mr. Dane Despres, Principal at Clarke Middle School, replied that the staffing will be separate. Those students will not be zoomed into the hybrid in-person classrooms. They will be taught by an RLA designated teacher for those classes during the Gold week. Mr. Bokun expressed some concerns about students sitting in a classroom for two hours with a mask on and then taking the masks off in the same classroom to have lunch. He wondered if they could have lunch in a different room in order to circulate the air flow. Ms. Jen Turner, Principal at Diamond Middle School, replied that they will be taking advantage of outdoor classrooms and outdoor lunches as much as possible. Ms. Turner went on to explain that a mask break was built in during "B" block, just before lunch. Ms. Turner mentioned that cohorts will be mixing for some support services, ELL, special education, and general education support services, as well as PE &Art. There will be at least one opportunity a day where students will be moving to a different space. Ms. Sawhney asked why the total amount of synchronized instruction time for the RLA is less than in the Hybrid? Ms. Turner replied that when they thought about a fully remote model, 65 minutes of a Zoom class is too much; too much time sitting behind a screen. So in the full remote model, we reduced the time to 45 minutes so they wouldn't be behind a screen. But we wouldn't be reducing instruction time because there will be asynchronous learning time as well. Ms. Sawhney expressed concerns over the students having to do homework after sitting in front of the screens all day, especially remote students. Would like to look further into it. Ms. Jay commented that having core teams helps in being able to create cohorts. Will those cohorts be mixed with other groups in Art & PE? Mr. Despres answered that the intention is to keep groups together or perhaps having art teachers go to the team's classroom. Ms. Turner said that in some cases, kids will go for special services. Ms. Jay asked how the performing arts teachers would be able to do "live" performance group work with the students in online classes because of the lag time over the Internet. Mr. Despres said they are working closely with Mr. Cassedy, K-12 Coordinator for Performing Arts, and the department teachers to develop creative plans/strategies. Dr. Chris Lyons replied LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC that Mr. Jared Cassedy is working on different strategies to organize instruction and to work on ways to put together ensemble performances. Dr. Lyons said they are discussing doing post production work to make performances and ensemble activities doable. Ms. Sawhney asked for clarification on how WIN block, clubs and athletics would work, as well as getting materials to Engineering Tech students. Ms. Turner replied that WIN block would look very different this year. Students will be scheduled to be in their classroom with their"homeroom" teacher. Ms. Turner noted that they would be waiting to hear from guidance from Dr. Hackett on what is going to happen with fall athletics. Ms. Turner said whatever clubs could run remotely should run and Technology applications can be accessed on the students chromebook. Arrangements can be made for pickup of other materials if needed. Ms. Lenihan asked how homework would be envisioned. Dr. Lyons said there has been a lot of discussion on the topic of homework and it will look a little differently in this environment. She said the district needs to be sure it is not overburdening the students with additional time on the computer. High School Schedule: Presenters: Andrew Stephens, LHS Principal; Andy Baker, Associate Principal; Kevin Kelly, Math Dept. Head A pre-recorded video of the Lexin ton High School Scheduling Presentation was viewed by School Committee members in advance and was made available to the public. School Committee members had the following questions for the high school administrators: Mr. Bokun commented that this is something that no one has ever done before. He thinks people will need to adjust their expectations because it will not be possible to accomplish what is done in normal times. He hopes everyone will come together to make this work. Ms. Sawhney asked how the girls' bathrooms would work safely and be accessible. Mr. Baker, Associate Principal at Lexington High School, replied that the high school built in a 15-minute transition time. He said one of the biggest worries for bathroom usage is the high demand during transition times. Mr. Baker said they need to think really carefully on how to meet the demands or put protocols in place to lessen that demand, because that is the time that most LHS students will choose to use the bathroom. Ms. Jay expressed concerns over the continuity of the teaching at the high school. She said if students are working on half of their courses for two weeks, there is a lull at the end of the two LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC weeks. In the later two weeks, will students have asynchronous work assigned? Are the afternoon blocks meant for check-in or instruction time? Mr. Baker: Our proposed schedule emphasizes synchronous work, not asynchronous work. Earlier versions had students in the remote cohort doing work asynchronously, but that's not the case here. We are going to have to calibrate and think about homework differently and carefully. The afternoon blocks are primarily for reviewing and previewing with the blocks that aren't meeting in person those weeks. Ms. Jay said it might make the continuity of teaching both from the students' perspective and the teachers' perspective rather difficult and challenging. Two weeks is a long span in between. From a teacher standpoint, if you are teaching the same class—one as an A Block class and one as a B Block class—it will be hard to align the pace of the teaching. Ms. Jay asked how do you keep a class rolling when you are on two weeks and off two weeks? Ms. Sara Mei echoed Ms. Jay's concerns about the latter half of the school day. If homework is assigned during the two weeks when a class is "off," how would students get help? She expressed concerns over the lack of I-Block/or extra support. Ms. Mei said the extra help hours have decreased a lot since last year. Principal Stephens agreed with Ms. Mei. He stated again that there is no perfect schedule and they wouldn't be able to do a formal I-Block time this school year anyway because there are too many students going all over the school. Principal Stephens said that given the constraints, there is no place to be able to put I-Block this year. Students can email their teachers with questions. Principal Stephens stated that this is brand new for everybody, whether it's the modalities, as were spoken to very eloquently by many of the teachers, in terms of the challenges they have to face with having kids in front of them and also connecting in with kids remotely. That is a brand new type of challenge that is not going to be easy and will absolutely have a learning curve that is significant just in thinking of what activities work best within that modality or multiple modalities. It's also thinking about what is the pacing looking like from a content standpoint and a curriculum standpoint. That is something that is an irritative process, because we are going to be working our way through a brand new type of schedule that doesn't have the same amount of time and the way that we are delivering this is totally different. Principal Stephens said, while this schedule is the best possible way that we can balance all of the different things that are happening and make it understandable to people, both teachers and kids, it is rife with challenges. Those are significant trade offs that come with having challenges like this. Mr. Baker commented that the generosity of spirit that is going to be needed this year is not so much around curriculum building. Teachers have a lot of practice figuring out how to fit curriculum into different lengths of time or puzzles. They don't have a lot of practice with the very skill set that this is going to take in terms of the synchronous piece of classes. In that LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC sense, it is sort of like throwing teachers back into their first year of teaching and it is exhausting. There's going to have to be a lot of generosity of spirit around the idea that sometimes mistakes are going to be made and it's not going to be quite as smooth in the beginning as it might be 4 or 5 weeks in. People are going to have to get their feet under them and figure out what works. That's where we are going to need people to be understanding and forgiving. SCHOOL COMMITTEE DISCUSSION: Ms. Lenihan mentioned that the Public Department of Health issued a statement that they have added the flu vaccine this year to the list of vaccines that are mandated for school attendance. Ms. Lenihan asked how do we make sure that all Lexington students receive this vaccine, including all remote students. Ms. Lenihan asked if it would be possible to have flu shot clinics available at the high school for staff members? Dr. Hackett replied that Karen Rufo is currently working on this and will have more information soon. Ms. Sawhney asked if they could institute a contact tracing process. Dr. Hackett said they have already started the process of contact tracing around the cohorts. She said they also have processes for busing and knowing who will be sitting in what seat. Ms. Sawhney asked to have a strong feedback mechanism from the students as well as monitoring the different models and see how they are working. Ms. Jay asked Dr. Hackett to speak about the new phasing-in plan that was mentioned in the Superintendent Report and talk about how it is different from what other districts are doing. Dr. Hackett said it is different from what other districts are doing. The concept is "how do we start to have people acclimate into the buildings after we've had this extended period of school closure and distancing." Doing it in such a way that we are bringing in one grade level at a time does a lot of things on many fronts. Dr. Hackett said the idea is to bring in the grade levels one at a time and start to practice the new and different routines. She said this is a way to integrate slowly and practice safety procedures. Dr. Hackett said practicing these routines and getting kids in gradually will also give the district the ability to build in moments in time to stop and reflect and pause to look at health indicators and see how things are going and continue on with the plan. Committee members had continued discussion on the new phasing-in plan for elementary, middle school and high school. Ms. Lenihan thought the phase-in at the high school seemed slow and would prefer a faster phase-in there. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC School Committee members held a discussion where members shared their thoughts about the plans for each level—elementary, middle school, and high school. Elementary: Mr. Bokun is ecstatic about all three—elementary, middle, and high school. They did a great job; the scheduling is great. His only concern is teacher and/or sub shortage that will come up. Dr. Hackett expressed concern about coverage as well. It's challenging because we have to limit the size of classrooms. While quarantining, teachers may have to teach remotely. If it becomes too difficult, there may be situations where a class will go remote. We're going to be creative, e.g., looking at partnerships with interns, colleges, or parent volunteers to cover pods. Ms. Jay said she thinks about these decisions in terms of (1) health risks, (2) delivery of education, and (3) social/mental health aspects. She's reminded of the BOH recommendation to prioritize those who need to be in school the most. After those with special needs, our youngest students need to be in school the most. So Ms. Jay believes that Hybrid makes sense for elementary school. Ms. Sawhney suggested developing a contract between LPS and the community that families would agree to. Middle School: Ms. Jay thought that middle school did a good job of scheduling. Teams allow for cohorting and the structure of courses is consistent and manageable. Developmentally, this is an important time socially for kids. Hybrid is doable at middle school level. High School: Ms. Sawhney noted that the School Committee has heard from many high school teachers. It's completely legitimate what they're worried about. No doubt that the level of how to do this for the teachers is going to be very hard. We are asking them to be heros. Ms. Sawhney is encouraged that the virus rate is going down. LHS is very complex, with AP, honors, etc. Ms. Jay said that all perspectives are valid—families/kids want in-person contact, teachers' concerns are real. Regarding health risks, Ms. Jay worried about the amount of exposure and mixing at LHS. Teachers are exposed to 125 students over 4 weeks. Contact tracking will be difficult; staffing issues; loss of teachers who leave or retire. Things could topple rapidly. On the educational piece, Ms. Jay had concerns about teachers having to navigate simultaneous teaching to in-person and at-home students. Inability to service all of them well; limitations of technology/space/support. The two-week on/off plan could compromise the quality of teaching. On the other hand, there's tremendous value on the social-emotional side. Getting out of the house; having structure; seeing others. Ms. Jay suggested the idea of doing the teaching remotely but bringing in students for high-value activities in person, e.g., advisories, counselor LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC seminars, etc. On balance, given the risks to everyone and compromises in education, Ms. Jay wondered whether it's worth it to do hybrid at LHS. Ms. Lenihan noted that we are doing well in terms of positivity rate. If we can't go back in the hybrid capacity now, when would we be doing that? Things are not normal. She acknowledged that kids may not learn as much as a normal year, or in a fully remote year. That's not the only reason to go to school. It's not healthy for them to be removed from other human beings. So she supports the hybrid model. Regarding the phase-in, she'd like to prioritize getting the 12th graders in sooner. General: Mr. Bokun remarked that the health numbers have not changed since the hybrid model was presented in July. He understands that teachers don't want to face life-threatening situations, but we need to honor what both sides have worked toward. It's a compromise. He is still for the hybrid. Ms. Cuthbertson acknowledged the concerns of educators as well as Lexington families in difficult situations. We will have to address any potential inequities. Education is a profoundly social experience. Ignoring the anxieties of our educators is a disservice to our students. The phase-in is a good way to start addressing that; make them more confident to go into the buildings safely. Staying remote might be the safest with regard to COVID, but it may not be what's best for many of our students. There are students having mental health concerns who didn't have them before. Ms. Cuthbertson has not changed her support for hybrid at any of the levels. Ms. Jay thought Ms. Cuthbertson's remarks captured very well why people are so emotional about this. It's not just about how much kids learn. There's a very important social, emotional aspect. If fears are pervasive in our educators, it will affect how they can be there for their students and do the work they do. Ms. Jay agreed that there is a great deal of value for students to be in person, particularly for mental health reasons. These decisions are a balance of trade-offs. In featuring one thing, maybe we are sacrificing the others. Ms. Jay said that "if come out a certain way, it's not because I don't value all the other aspects." Ms. Sawhney said that if parents feel that their children really need hybrid, then go for it. If your kids will do ok, please take RLA and help the whole system out by reducing some of the stressors. In closing, Dr. Hackett commented that the plan voted on before was the hybrid model, but the district is trying to be responsive to feedback and making sure people feel ready and have the ability to practice the safety protocols outlined in the phasing-in plan. Dr. Hackett said her recommendation stands and suggested the School Committee move forward with the phase-in plan as proposed. LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Ms. Jay moved that the School Committee reaffirm it's vote of July 28, 2020 in support of the updated Blueprint for Elementary as well as the phase-in plan recommended by the Superintendent, seconded by Ms. Cuthbertson; Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote- Approved 5-0 Ms. Jay moved that the School Committee reaffirm it's vote of July 28, 2020 in support of the updated Blueprint for Middle School with the addition of the phase-in plan recommended by the Superintendent, seconded by Mr. Bokun; Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote -Approved 5-0 Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee reaffirm it's vote of July 28, 2020 in support of the updated Blueprint for High School including the phase-in plan recommended by the Superintendent, seconded by Mr. Bokun; Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote -Approved 4-1 [Bokun—Yes, Cuthbertson—Yes, Jay—No, Lenihan—Yes, Sawhney--Yes] CONSENT AGENDA Mr. Bokun moved to approve the consent agenda following items: A. June 19, 2020 - Payroll in the amount of$4,529,945.76 B. June 30, 2020 - Accounts Payable in the amount of$2,321,295.38 C. June 30, 2020 - Accounts Payable BOM (Bank of Montreal Reconciliations) in the amount of$8,664.64 D. July 3, 2020 - Balloon Payroll in the amount of$8,990,544.74 E. July 3, 2020 - Payroll in the amount of$1,925,463.13 F. July 17, 2020 - Payroll in the amount of$824,833.48 G. July 31, 2020 - Payroll in the amount of$916,908 H. July 31, 2020 - Accounts Payable in the amount of$1,583,114.90 I. August 14, 2020 -Accounts Payable in the amount of$769,103.26 J. August 14, 2020 -Accounts Payable BOM (Bank of Montreal Reconciliations) in the amount of$5,579.99 K. August 14, 2020 - Payroll in the amount of$922,420.29 L. August 28, 2020 -Accounts Payable in the amount of$645,469.01 LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC Ms. Cuthbertson seconded; Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote -Approved 5-0 Ms. Cuthbertson moved to approve a donation of gifts to Fiske Elementary school for a deposit to the Student Gift Account: 1. General Mills Box Tops for Education in the amount of$297.10 2. A+ Rewards for Stop & Shop in the amount of$379.33 3. Wilson Farms for Shop Wilson Farm Day in the amount of$198.00 Seconded by Mr. Bokun; Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote-Approved 5-0 Ms. Sawhney moved to approve School Committee minutes from July 21, 2020; seconded by Ms. Jay, Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote-Approved 5-0 Mr. Bokun made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:25 AM,seconded by Ms. Jay, Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote -Approved 5-0 LSC 8/25/2020 Meeting Minutes-APPROVED 10/27/2020 KC