Concord School District Hosts Reopening Forums Tuesday, Thursday

CONCORD, NH — The Concord School District is hosting two public forums to give students, parents, and guardians the opportunity to view draft plans for reopening for the 2020-2021 school year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Interim School Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said the district would be presenting three models which give an overview to the community of how education can resume in SAU 8.

"The district continues to develop plans that engage our pre-K through Grade 12 learners," she said. "Currently, a committee of teachers, administrators, parents, and students, with guidance from the NH Health and Human Services Department of Public Health and the CDC, has formulated a draft plan."

The draft plans were eyed by the Instructional Committee, a school board subcommittee, Wednesday and posted in a Google doc on the district's website.

The models include fully remote, fully in-person, and combination-hybrid options that will allow the district to "pivot from one model to another quickly" in case of major outbreaks of COVID-19, Murphy said. The draft plans were created after gathering more than 2,000 surveys.

Survey Results

The district surveyed students, parents, and staffers, and included opinions of parents and staffers in a breakdown of data and charts presented to the subcommittee Wednesday.

According to parent surveys, only 5.5 to 6.8 percent, based on grade level, said they would not be sending their children to school in-person. Most parents, between 33 and 34 percent, said they were leaning toward sending their students to school — with 22 to 29 percent saying they were fully comfortable sending their children to school. Most parents — anywhere from 74 to 82 percent supported a 100 percent in-person or hybrid models. More middle and high school parents were leaning slightly toward a hybrid model over the 100 percent in-person model by about a 9 percent difference.

When it came to school staffers, anywhere from 43 to 48 percent, across all three grade levels, preferred the hybrid model, with 41 and 43 percent of middle and high school educators preferring distance learning. More than 25 percent of elementary school staffers, however, preferred to return with the in-person model.

Staffers were also asked if the district returned to in-person learning, would there be "special circumstances" that would prevent them from returning. More than half and nearly half of middle and high school staffers answered "yes."

Draft Plan Highlights

The district is proposing a school start date of Sept. 8.

All students and staff will be required to practice social distancing and wear masks while in school buildings — with "mask breaks" throughout the day. Masks will be provided to educators and to students if they need them. Plexiglass protectors will be installed in some areas of school.

Schools will undergo cleaning routines, including electrostatic sprayers with disinfectant on all hard surfaces, floor cleaning machines, spray bottles in classrooms, and hand sanitizer. Cleaning protocols in case of students becoming infected are also in place.

Visitors and volunteers will not be allowed in school buildings unless there is an emergency. Parent meetings will be held remotely.

Parents will be asked to screen all students before they come to school — with temperatures taken before students enter school. Educators will also be screened for temperatures on school grounds.

More than 1,000 air filters are being replaced in all school buildings with Trane Air Systems — with maximum air flow allowed in all systems.

Food will be served as "grab and go" with breakfasts and lunches to be held in classrooms or outside as much as possible.

School buses will be cleaned and disinfected before and after pick-up and drop-off but the district is requesting parents to transport their students, if possible, and to assist with ensuring social distancing at bus stops.

Meeting Times

• Elementary presentation: 5 to 6 p.m. on July 28.
• Middle school presentation: 6:05 to 7:05 p.m. on July 28.
• High school presentation: 7:10 to 8:10 p.m. on July 28.
• Elementary presentation: 5 to 6 p.m. on July 30.
• Middle school presentation: 6:05 to 7:05 p.m. on July 30.
• High school presentation: 7:10 to 8:10 p.m. on July 30.

To view the meetings, visit the district's Microsoft Teams Meeting site. The chat feature will be on during the meetings. Questions may be submitted to concordinfo@sau8.org.

Decisions will be at the Aug. 3 school board meeting. The public may offer input during those meetings.

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