LUDLOW — Students returning next month will receive both remote and in-person education under a hybrid plan unanimously approved by the School Committee Friday night.
The Ludlow Education Association had favored starting the school year with what it called a “robust remote learning model,” saying that option would “provide the same education as the hybrid model without any of the risks.”
However, the School Committee opted, 5-to-0, to proceed with the hybrid plan over that all-remote learning option or going completely with traditional in-person classes.
“There is no good fix... this is a good place to start,” said School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher before voting in favor of the hybrid plan. “I wouldn’t be voting for it if I didn’t think we could do it safely.”
Under the hybrid proposal, parents have the option to request remote-only education for their children, but must notify the system of their choice by Aug. 14, said Superintendent of Schools Todd H. Gazda.
Grades 1 through 12 will return on Sept. 15 with kindergarten and pre-kindergarten on Sept. 22.
Half of each class would attend school on Monday and Tuesday; and the remainder on Wednesday through Friday using a revolving schedule, Gazda said. When not in the classroom, students will receive remote learning via the internet.
The remote education offered in September will be “more robust” than what students received in the spring, Gazda said.
Among some of the measures planned in the fall:
- Teachers and principals will enforce a strict mask policy at the schools
- Students will be having lunch in their classroom, not the cafeteria
- Bathroom sanitization and restroom breaks will be set by principals
Some of the questions submitted by parents to the School Committee ranged from grief counseling for students in the event of the death of a teacher from COVID-19 to the school system’s liability for negligence.
Neighboring school systems have begun unveiling their plans for the fall amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Springfield, Granby, Northampton and South Hadley have opted to begin the 2020-2021 school year with an all-remote format.
Since Jan. 1, Ludlow has tallied about 135 cases of coronavirus with six COVID-10-related deaths, according to town and state reports.
Massachusetts has reported more than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 with more than 8,700 deaths.