Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance

Today, Governor Baker’s office and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released their initial guidance about reopening schools this fall. We appreciate the level of thought and care that went into the development of this guidance, and share its goal of the safe return of as many students as possible to in-person school settings in order to best meet students’ academic, vocational technical, social and emotional needs.

Over the coming days, we will be reviewing the guidance to begin to understand how it impacts what we can do at Blue Hills Regional Technical School. We also acknowledge that this initial guidance does not address every topic and that there will be more comprehensive guidance coming to us in July. The full document can be found on our website www.bluehills.org or at http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/, but here are some key components:

• Current medical research supports a safe in-person return to school - with preventive measures in place - as infection and transmission rates are lower for children than adults.
• Preventive measures include masks/face coverings, physical distancing,
• handwashing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces
• Masks/face coverings will be required for all students and for all adults

 

Based upon current medical research, and in conjunction with other preventive measures, a minimum physical distance of three feet has been established
The Commissioner has provided guardrails for the new school year which will require Blue Hills Regional Technical School District to develop three (3) separate plans - one for return to full in-person instruction with safety requirements, one for full remote learning, and one for hybrid learning that combines in-person and remote learning. Based upon the current medical situation, the expectation today is that students will return to full in-person instruction in September; however, that is subject to change based upon how the medical situation develops.

We acknowledge that there are likely to be more questions than answers at this time, and we will continue to communicate with you in the coming weeks and months. Our leadership team is working through these issues in unprecedented times requiring a great deal of time and planning. Should you have any questions or concerns, please email 2020reopen@bluehills.org.