Summit Superintendent Says Schools Will Reopen 5 Days A Week

SUMMIT, NJ — While nearby school districts have approved school reopening plans with "A-B rotation schedules" — meaning the older students will get full-day remote learning on alternate days — Summit's acting school superintendent released a plan Thursday for all students to be the buildings each day in fall. As mandated by the state, parents also will be allowed to select an all-remote option.

Acting Summit Superintendent of Schools Robert Gardella released details of the reopening plan on Thursday morning, taking into account coronavirus precautions.

The Summit schools were originally set to reopen to students on Aug. 31, but will now reopen on Sept. 1, Gardella announced.

As of Wedneday, Summit had gone nearly a week without a new coronavirus case, unlike several other North Jersey communities.

The state of New Jersey announced on Monday that all parents must also get the option of remote learning as the pandemic continues to spread around the country. More than 140,000 Americans have died of coronavirus in the past four months, including more than 13,700 in New Jersey (see update on state trends at the end of this story).

Among some highlights of Summit's initial plan:

• Students will be in the buildings for four hours a day, the equivalent of a single-session day, and receive some remote instruction the same day.
• The students will not have lunch in school.
• Parents will be asked to commit to the in-person or remote plans in a survey sent out in early August.

Recently, the nearby districts of Millburn/Short Hills and Cranford announced a five-day-per-week single-session plan for their younger students, and an A/B rotating plan for middle and high school students.

Gardella said Thursday that such a plan can present new problems, and also that the Summit parent surveys revealed that 87 percent of respondents wanted their kids in the buildings.

"While there is no perfect model," he wrote, "we believe that this is the best for our students academically, emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. ... A-B rotation schedules have been presented as an option by the state and are being pursued by several districts. An A-B model means that students are not in school on alternating, full days. This fact raised questions in our district: Where are students on their remote only days? Who are they with? Are they gathering? Are they distancing? Are they wearing masks? Are they supervised? Are they receiving health screenings?"

He said, "We believe our 5-day model allows us to implement all of these controls on a daily basis in school. In fact, our local health officials have expressed support of our plan due to the increased daily measures of control that it presents, and have acknowledged that despite an increased daily capacity, our model is as safe as A-B rotations for students and staff. Again, there is no perfect model."

He added, "Even a fully remote model presents its own set of risks."

However, he noted, "We are proud to offer remote instruction for families who need or want it. Our remote students will receive a full day of instruction. The teachers’ direct instruction during the morning in-person portion will be delivered synchronously for the students who are learning remotely. The length of synchronous learning will vary depending on grade level. The remote learners will have follow-up touchpoints in the afternoon with their teachers and in-person peers. Our remote plan has been designed to include a combination of synchronous teaching and independent assignments."

Many school districts have not released their plans yet, and the districts that released initial plans have not given some of the more intricate details, such as how students will be tested, what happens if a teacher tests positive for coronavirus, or whether school counselors and special aides will be available remotely.

Many districts are still surveying parents and working out details amid the changing crisis.

Gardella said the district made its initial decisions because "We had more than 2,700 responses, with 87 percent of respondents indicating that they intend to send their child to school for in-person instruction in the fall. That percentage has been used to further develop a framework for in-person instruction, five days a week."

Gardella also said in the same letter that the schools are also working on an "anti-racism education" plan.

Gardella's full letter is here:

<blockquote>

Dear Summit Public Schools Community,
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. I am writing to share the progress that the District has made in advancing two important bodies of work: our efforts to enhance a culture of anti-racism; and our plans to reopen school in the fall. Updates in each of these areas represent where we are as of today. Planning is ongoing, and we will continue to update you as we progress.

ANTI-RACISM EDUCATION

The Summit Public Schools is deeply dedicated to improving anti-racism education in all of our schools. We are proud of our diverse community, and remain resolute that we must take intentional action to celebrate that diversity. Please note that the following information is an update as of today. It does not represent our finished product because our work to ensure that every student feels represented will be ongoing. To that end I am pleased to announce that the district will create an Equity and Inclusion committee focused on our long-term dedication to that commitment.
Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, several initiatives were implemented to create a strong foundation for explicit anti-racism education. Summit High School and LCJSMS worked with the Anti-Defamation League to become No Place for Hate-certified schools. In addition, District curriculum at all grade levels was audited for cultural inclusivity and diverse representation in content and curricular resources.
This summer, curriculum rewrites in English Language Arts and Interdisciplinary Units are explicitly addressing deficits in representation and consideration for multiple perspectives. We revised our new teacher training program to include a session called, “The Culturally-Inclusive Educator: Supporting a Culture of Empathy, Justice, and Action,” which will outline the Summit Public Schools’ vision for cultural inclusion as a District core value.
During the 2020-2021 school year, teachers and families will have access to educational experiences on topics such as cultural inclusion and implicit bias. We will further strengthen our libraries to include more diverse perspectives and experiences. Curriculum will include protocols for critical analysis and debate. Our aim is to ensure a wide range of resources are available for the varied experiences and points of views within our student body.
We look forward to updating you as continued progress is made, and thank you for your ongoing support.

REOPENING THE SUMMIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

As stated in my July 6th letter, the District is committed to ongoing and transparent communications as we create our reopening plans. That guiding principle is the impetus for the following updates on the progress of our plans for the 2020-21 school year.

RATIONALE FOR OUR IN-PERSON MODEL

Thank you to the families who participated in our reopening survey. We had more than 2,700 responses, with 87% of respondents indicating that they intend to send their child to school for in-person instruction in the fall. That percentage has been used to further develop a framework for in-person instruction, five days a week.
While there is no perfect model, we believe that this is the best for our students academically, emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. Pointing back to our guiding principles, we are striving for the optimal balance of delivering a quality learning plan, considering the overall health of all stakeholders, and our ability to mitigate risk of COVID-19 spread.
The District reviewed other models. A-B rotation schedules have been presented as an option by the State and are being pursued by several districts. An A-B model means that students are not in school on alternating, full days. This fact raised questions in our district: Where are students on their remote only days? Who are they with? Are they gathering? Are they distancing? Are they wearing masks? Are they supervised? Are they receiving health screenings? Are they accountable to health-related policies, procedures, protocols?
We believe our 5-day model allows us to implement all of these controls on a daily basis in school. In fact, our local health officials have expressed support of our plan due to the increased daily measures of control that it presents, and have acknowledged that despite an increased daily capacity, our model is as safe as A-B rotations for students and staff.
Again, there is no perfect model. We appreciate that questions about health controls can be asked every time a student is outside of the District. There is no blueprint for complete mitigation or for a risk-free environment. Even a fully remote model presents its own set of risks. However, after careful consideration, we believe our model represents the best consistently controlled effort that we can make on behalf of our community.
Consistency is an important consideration that we did not overlook in our design. Our model allows us to offer the continuity of instruction that we know is best for Summit learners. While imperfect, it also offers a reliable schedule that allows families to build consistent routines.
There are still many factors about our school reopenings that are being worked out at the State level. We remain patient as continued information is provided, and we ask that all of us remain patient with each other, confident in each other, and flexible if developments require a change in our current plan.

IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION

Our in-person students will receive a full day of instruction. This will consist of a combination of in-person and remote learning experiences. They will be in school daily for a four-hour morning session that will likely resemble our single session schedule. They will also be required to meet remote learning expectations and participate virtually in the afternoons. This decision was made for several reasons:
● A full day of in-person school requires a lunch period. Our local health officials are not in favor of gathering students, with masks off, in a lunchroom, to eat a full meal. If we attempt having students eat lunch in classrooms or in smaller groups/spaces we will not have adequate time to clean all spaces thoroughly and efficiently prior to resuming instruction. While we will not offer meals in our schools, please see below for further information on meal distribution.
● An abbreviated in-person school day allows our custodial staff time to properly clean our schools according to state guidelines and protocols.
● An abbreviated in-person school day gives teachers time to work remotely with all learners on a daily basis, and connects in-person learners with their remote peers.

REMOTE INSTRUCTION

We are proud to offer remote instruction for families who need or want it. Our remote students will receive a full day of instruction. The teachers’ direct instruction during the morning in-person portion will be delivered synchronously for the students who are learning remotely. The length of synchronous learning will vary depending on grade level. The remote learners will have follow-up touchpoints in the afternoon with their teachers and in-person peers. Our remote plan has been designed to include a combination of synchronous teaching and independent assignments.

ALL STUDENTS

To reiterate, regardless of model, our school day includes a full day of learning activities and expectations. All students will be required to attend to scheduled remote activities and/or touchpoints.

Elementary and secondary-level instructional schedules will look slightly different, however all schedules will include core academics, specials/electives, and a new daily Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) component.

A combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences will be included in the afternoon.

LUNCH/MEALS

As we will be following an abbreviated schedule for students, we will not be having lunch in school. However, the District plans to make grab-and-go style breakfast and lunch meals available to every student.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Protocols for daily screenings, handling of symptoms in school, and contact tracing are being developed in collaboration with local and State health officials. In addition, we are working on several other sets of procedures that cover all aspects of operations. All procedures will be shared as soon as they are completed and approved.

IMPORTANT CALENDAR CHANGE

In order to prepare our staff to deliver effective learning in our new landscape, we have identified several areas of professional development that are critical to reopening. Taking time to deliver professional development thoroughly will increase our efficiency and decrease any uncertainties. To maximize this outcome, we will add an additional professional development day for staff on August 31, 2020.

This means that the first day of school for students is anticipated to be September 1, 2020. While the Board of Education has expressed support of this decision informally, the calendar change will not become official until formally discussed in committee and approved at the next BOE meeting.

TRAVEL ADVISORIES

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the State has issued an incoming travel advisory that all individuals entering New Jersey from states with a significant spread of COVID-19 should quarantine for 14-days after leaving that state. Please check the list of states at this link which will be updated regularly. We ask parents to organize their travel plans accordingly and keep in mind that 14 days before the start of the school year is August 18. According to our local health officials, students must self quarantine for a full 14 days prior to starting school. A negative virus test does not supersede the quarantine period.
I hope this update provides clarity on our direction and progress. After our plan is fully prepared, approved, and communicated, another survey will be sent to the parent community asking for a firm decision on student attendance in the fall. Please look out for that survey in the beginning of August.

Thank you for your ongoing support, patience, and understanding.
Sincerely,
Robert Gardella Acting Superintendent Director of Human Resources

</blockquote>

Related Summit school and coronavirus updates:

• Gardella had asked in a previous letter for parents to help students build up "mask endurance."
• Come back to Summit Patch for updates as more details are revealed.
• To read recent Summit coronavirus statistics, testing, and reopening updates, click here.
• Gov. Phil Murphy's administration released its broad school reopening guidelines to the districts late last month.
• Gov. Murphy said this week has said that people returning to New Jersey after traveling to 31 states must quarantine and be tested.
• Since early March, 140,000 Americans and 13,741 New Jersey residents have died of the virus, including 460 reported on New Jersey's worst day — April 30. Since then, the daily death toll in New Jersey has gradually waned, with Gov. Phil Murphy reporting nine confirmed deaths on Tuesday.
• To see a daily breakdown of deaths and trends in other states, click here.

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