With the first day of school less than 30 days away, Cherry Hill Public Schools are still fine-tuning their “We Return to Learn 2020” plan. Superintendent of Schools Joseph Meloche stressed at Tuesday night’s virtual board of education meeting that given the ever-changing nature of state guidelines, the plan is a “living and breathing” document that will continue to change even as schools reopen.
“This is dynamic; this is constantly changing,” he said.
While the plan has been presented at two prior meetings, board members fleshed out some of its finer details with Meloche. They also inquired about how some of the day-to-day, practical details of reopening will unfold.
The district has chosen a hybrid model of education in which students will receive in-person instruction two days a week, but families can choose a fully remote option.
Students receiving in-person instruction will attend school for two days on an early dismissal schedule and will learn remotely the three remaining days of the week. Students have been split into two cohorts and will attend in-person instruction with the same cohort on either Tuesday and Thursday, or Wednesday and Friday.
Students in the fully remote model will still be assigned to a cohort. On days when those cohorts are physically in school, each remote student will participate in synchronous instruction by watching a livestream of the class. On the days the child’s cohort learns remotely, he or she will follow virtual instruction activities and lessons.
Following early dismissal, the cohort in asynchronous learning for the day will have remote synchronous learning from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Meloche said that time will offer students a chance to touch base with their teachers every school day.
The entire district will have a “cooperative learning day” every Monday. All students will be on remote instruction for four hours. Both hybrid students and fully remote students will meet virtually as a whole on that day.
Board member Kimberly Friddell made several follow-up inquiries regarding the plan. She asked what will happen if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, and how a person will be safely separated from others if he or she presents with symptoms during the school day.
Meloche explained that the district is working with Dr. Paschal Nwako, the Camden County Health Officer/Public Health Coordinator, to establish the district’s procedures. If someone tests positive, the first step is to notify the Department of Health, which will provide direction regarding notifications. The health department will be responsible for managing contact tracing. Each school’s nurse has also been identified as a secondary office to house someone who has symptoms during the school day.
Friddell also expressed concerns about the amount of screen time students will have come fall, and whether there will be opportunities for learning outside of instruction on devices.
Meloche said he’s in full agreement and has similar concerns about excessive screen time. For that reason, each schedule has breaks built in so students are not spending the entire day on devices.
Board member Eric Goodwin inquired if physical education classes will still take place this fall. Meloche said health and physical education are still required this fall. Staff are currently looking at a wide array of activities that students can engage in and remain socially distanced both indoors and out. But students will not have access to locker rooms, which will remain closed this fall.
Board member Ruth Schultz asked about how the district is contacting families who still have not made a choice between remote or in-person instruction. As of Aug. 11, the district has received responses from about 9,000 families, but it was still waiting to hear from another 1,000 or so. Meloche said all students were still assigned to a cohort, and at the building level, staff are reaching out to individual families.
The district has also prepared a fully remote learning plan for all students in the event the state forces schools to close again.
“We are listening; we are watching intently,” Meloche noted. “As soon as we have information if there is going to be a pivot or change, we will absolutely share that with the community.”
The next meeting of the Cherry Hill Board of Education will take place on Tuesday, Aug 25, at 6 p.m. For more information on the district’s reopening plan, visit https://www.chclc.org/returntolearn.
