Portsmouth schools set date for full-time in-person learning to resume

PORTSMOUTH — The city's school district leaders announced plans to reopen its schools to full-time in-person learning Wednesday, April 21, saying they are using two days of flexibility within Gov. Chris Sununu's executive order to open schools April 19.

A joint message from Superintendent Steve Zadravec and Assistant Superintendent George Shea on Friday states Sununu’s order allows the two extra days for the transition.

“This will allow for more protection for our staff from the vaccine and additional time for facility preparations,” the message reads.

Students in the city's Dondero, Little Harbour and New Franklin elementary schools will have full-time in-person learning Mondays through Thursdays and will be released early on Fridays at an unspecified time.

“The early release on Fridays allows some time and flexibility around the collaborative planning necessary to continue to provide high quality programming to our remote students and individualized special education services,” the message says.

More:Sununu expects schools to meet reopening deadline but indicates some flexibility

Portsmouth Middle School students will see their schedules return to pre-coronavirus hours for five full days of in-person instruction. Remote students will be in “combined classes with dedicated teachers at each grade level.”

At Portsmouth High School, students will have a full student class schedule again, with four 75-minute classes on those days running between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Remote students and quarantined students will work with teachers between 2 and 3:30 p.m. Classes will be held Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays remain an intervention instructional day. High schoolers can come to the school Wednesdays if they choose for academic support. Some students will be required to attend if they are not passing a class.

Robert J. Lister Academy will not change its schedule as it was already in line with Sununu’s order.

“All schools will continue to reinforce our safety protocols and take measures to utilize open spaces such as outdoor spaces when possible and appropriate,” the district leaders' message says. “We appreciate the patience and support from the community as we transition to these plans for a more fully open end to the year.”

Starting next week, Portsmouth schools will be adding tents, tables and more seating to their grounds to increase outdoor learning opportunities and maintain social distancing habits.

More:Exeter High, CMS and other SAU 16 schools returning full-time April 19: Here's how

“We’re currently adding additional furniture to our interior spaces as well as we work to maximize safe distancing in our next phase,” the leaders' message states.

The school district also announced the last day of school for all Portsmouth students will be Thursday, June 17.

Portsmouth’s announcement comes the same day teachers and school staff are receiving the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccinations, following up on their first Saturday, March 13.

The new schedules at most city schools April 21 marks a change from previous plans.

Initially, the district announced its plans to have K-8 students return to school four full days a week beginning Monday, May 3. At Portsmouth High School, students were slated to remain in their four half-days a week split into an a.m./p.m. model under which they'd been operating. 

The majority of students at the high school reported in a survey they didn’t feel safe returning for more in-person learning on May 3. In contrast, most parents were in favor of a return to full-time in-person school.

Survey says:Portsmouth High School stays with half-days as kids, parents disagree

More:Exeter High, CMS and other SAU 16 schools returning full-time April 19

Upon Sununu’s announcement last week, Zadravec had called his timeline to increase in-person learning a “challenge.”

“We have intentionally not had students in five full days in our plans as we are also trying to balance in-person needs with high quality instruction for our fully remote learners,” Zadravec wrote in an email.

At his weekly press conference Thursday, Gov. Sununu was asked why there was a rush to fully reopen schools. 

Sununu responded that there are some schools that have been in full learning modalities for the majority of the academic year. "We’re not rushing. They’re behind," he said of the schools not back for full face-to-face instruction. "Let’s be very clear."

He added that the state should not wait until September to assess the students "who have fallen through the cracks" of remote learning, which he said was an "adequate" option in the public health emergency that arose.

Zadravec did not immediately respond to request for comment on Friday.