Meeting Physical Distancing Guidelines

Based upon the safety requirements and guidance provided by the DESE significant measures would need to be taken in order to meet the 3 feet distancing requirements. Using those guidelines the schools would be able to support a class size of approximately 12-16 students depending on the size of the room. In order to meet those requirements, the following measures would need to be taken:

Arrival

• Buses will unload one bus at a time in front of the buildings.

• Additional entrances will be identified to alleviate congestion during student arrival.

• Upon arrival, all students, regardless of their point of entrance will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer and report directly to their designated home room.

• Once inside of the building students will report to homerooms.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement.

• In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of their bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Parent Drop-Off & Pick Up

• Regular procedures will be maintained as best as possible. The most significant change is parents would need to pick students up in pre-designated areas different from the past.

• Social distancing will be practiced as staff monitors students walking to cars.

Classes

• Students will remain with their classroom cohort for most of the day.

• Non-traditional areas such as the auditorium, library and cafeteria will be used for additional classrooms. Staff members, such as art and music teachers, instructional coaches and specialists who are not assigned to a classroom of students, will be needed to provide grade level instruction and classroom supervision. This will have a negative impact on our ability to provide instruction in the special area offerings and provide students with specialist classes.

Hallways

• Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of 3 feet distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building.

• To minimize hallway congestion students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible and teachers will move from room to room.

• Signage will be posted in hallways to indicate “one way” if the 3 feet cannot be maintained.

• All staff and students will be required to have masks on at all times in the hallways.

• Transitions will be staggered to avoid heavy traffic in the hallways.

Lunches and Recess

• Students will have the option of bringing a lunch from home or purchasing a pre-ordered lunch.

• Lunches will be delivered to and eaten in the classrooms.

• Recess will be a structured outdoor break supervised by teaching assistants, monitors and/or administration.

Mask Breaks (minimum of 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day, on a rotating basis. A class will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open) to provide all students with mask breaks.

• Efforts will be made to take students outside as often as possible.

Rest Rooms

• Students will maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities.

• Restrooms would be monitored throughout the day.

• Masks would be worn..

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• A designated COVID-19 Isolation Space required by the DESE guidance will be provided.

• This will provide our medical professionals a designated area to confidentially serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms.

• This room will be located in an area adjacent to the nurse’s office.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.

Challenges

Returning to full in person teaching and learning will require reassigning teachers to other teaching areas. Classes would have to be split into sections, displaced into non traditional teaching areas. Special area teachers such as a physical education teacher would have to be assigned as a grade level teacher. This would eliminate special area teachers so students would not receive various non academic subjects such as physical education or art. Additional staff will not be available to support students on IEPs or those who are in need of math or reading intervention. Logistical concerns relative to serving lunch, implementing recess, arrival and dismissals become more problematic given the social distancing requirements and the school full to capacity. Teaching assistants would be assigned to supervise more areas such as lunch and recess in order to ensure teachers receive preparation time. This would decrease the time teaching assistants can spend in the classroom in support of student learning.

Meeting Physical Distancing Guidelines

Based upon the safety requirements and guidance provided by the DESE significant measures would need to be taken in order to meet the 3 feet distancing requirements. Using those guidelines the middle school would be able to support a class size of 12-16 students depending on the size of the room. In order to meet those requirements, the following measures would need to be taken:

Arrival

• Upon arrival, all students, regardless of their point of entrance will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer and report directly to their first period class.

• Additional entrances will be identified to alleviate congestion during student arrival; seventh and eighth grade student walkers or parent drop offs will enter the school via the annex in front of the building. Sixth grade students will enter the building using the door on the north side of the building adjacent to the town hall. Students riding the bus will enter the building using the doors by the bus loop.

• Once inside of the building students will report to homerooms.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement.

• In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of their bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Classes

• Students will remain with their grade level cohorts.

• Non-traditional areas such as the auditorium and cafeteria will be used for additional classrooms.

• Non-traditional areas such as the auditorium, library and cafeteria will be used for additional classrooms. Staff members, such as art and music teachers, instructional coaches and specialists who are not assigned to a classroom of students, will be needed to provide grade level instruction and classroom supervision. This will have a negative impact on our ability to provide instruction in the special area offerings and provide students with specialist classes.

Hallways

• Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of 3 feet distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building.

• To minimize hallway congestion students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible and teachers will move from room to room.

• Signage will be posted in hallways to indicate “one way” if the 3 feet cannot be maintained.

• All staff and students will be required to have masks on at all times in the hallways.

• Transitions will be staggered to avoid heavy traffic in the hallways.

Lunches

• Students will have the option of bringing a lunch from home or purchasing a pre-ordered lunch.

• Lunches will be delivered to and eaten in the classrooms.

Mask Breaks (minimum 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day, on a rotating basis. During designated times, a class will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open) to provide all students with mask breaks.

Rest Rooms

• In order to ensure that students are able to maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities, only certain identified rest rooms would be available for use.

• Restrooms will be monitored by a Security staff throughout the day.

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• A designated COVID-19 Isolation Space required by the DESE guidance will be identified by the building nurse in collaboration with the district’s lead nurse.

• This will provide our medical professionals a designated area to serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms confidentially.

• This room will be located in an area adjacent to the nurses office.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols and remote teaching and learning strategies.

Meeting Physical Distancing Guidelines

Based upon the safety requirements and guidance provided by the DESE on June 25, 2020, significant measures would need to be taken in order to meet the 3 feet distancing requirements. In order to meet those requirements, the following measures would need to be taken:

Arrival

• Upon arrival, all students, regardless of their point of entrance will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer and report directly to their first period class.

• Busses will drop off students between 6:55 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. at the Main Entrance.

• Parents dropping off their children will drive around the building and will drop-off students who will enter at the Band Entrance on the North side of the building. Students dropped off by parents may enter between 6:55 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. Students dropped off after 7:25 a.m. should enter the Main Entrance.

• Students who drive to school will park in the side parking lot and enter the building through the Athletic Department entrance between 6:55 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. on the south side of the building. Students who arrive at school after 7:25 a.m. will enter through the Main Entrance.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students who take a first-run bus will be dismissed immediately at 2:03 p.m. and will be directed to report directly to their bus adhering to traffic patterns within the hallway.

• Student drivers as well as students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement at 2:10 p.m. after the halls and first-run busses have departed.

• At 2:15 p.m. students who take second-run busses for transportation home will report to central locations to await their busses. Students on second-run busses will be distanced, by bus, in either the Carlin Lynch Activity Center or the Dining Hall. In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of the second run bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Classes

• Eliminate all non-core academic classes and layoff any teachers who are not certified to teach a core academic course i.e. English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies or World Languages. This would allow us to increase the number of classes offered in each of the core areas while also providing us an opportunity to utilize additional, non-traditional classroom spaces for core academic instruction such as the Carlin Lynch Activity Center, non-core academic classrooms i.e. Art, Computer labs, etc., the LMC, the Auditorium and the Band and Music wings.

• Even with these significant measures taken; the high school would likely still need additional FTEs given the 3 ft distance between seats. This is particularly challenging in the Science Labs which utilize lab style tables and not individual student desks.

• Develop an alternate schedule that reflects the reduction in elective course offerings.

Lunches

• Additional lunch shifts will need to be added in order to accommodate the 6 feet of space outlined in the DESE guidance.

• In order to accommodate distancing guidelines during lunch we will need to add at-least 2 additional lunch shifts and utilize non-traditional spaces in addition to the cafeteria. The capacity is as follows: Cafeteria (103) Library Media Center (36) and the auditorium (100).

• Lunch offerings will be prepackaged (no salad bar option) and assuming a 40% participation rate and distancing precautions, students purchasing lunch will be served within the first 12 minutes of their lunch period--which is identical to the time taken pre-pandemic.

Hallways

• Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of 3 feet distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building making walkways one directional as needed.

• All staff and students will be required to have masks on at all times in the hallways

Mask Breaks (minimum 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day, on a rotating basis. During designated times, a class will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open) to provide all students with a mask break.

Rest Rooms

• In order to ensure that students are able to maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities, only certain identified rest rooms would be available for use. This would include two gender neutral restrooms, as well as one Male and one Female restroom on the B floor and one Male and Female restroom on the C floor.

• Extra personally will be needed to monitor restrooms throughout the day.

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• The designated COVID-19 Isolation Space required by the DESE guidance will be the office previously used by one of our Assistant Principals.

• This space is adjacent to the current Health Suite and will provide our medical professionals a designated area to serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms confidentially.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during the two professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.

Dartmouth Public Schools Hybrid Model will include both in-person instructional opportunities, as well as synchronous instruction and asynchronous offerings. As always, flexibility will be key to ensuring that a model of service fits the individual needs of students and families, especially within the remote environment.

In a learning environment that rotates between in-person (in school buildings) and remote learning, some services and instruction will be delivered synchronously through online platforms that allow for optimal instruction, communication, and observation between special educators, related service providers and students. Following are some examples of what form this may take at DPS:

• Therapies will be provided in-person when possible and remotely when appropriate, as dictated by a student’s needs and schedule. Individual staff situations may also affect in-person instruction.

• Special educators and related service providers may spend a portion of their day supporting some students in-person and another portion of their day providing students remote asynchronous support.

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) has indicated that districts should place a high priority on students with disabilities who have already been identified as “high need” through the IEP process on the IEP form entitled “Primary Disability/Level of Need-PL3. In most cases, students identified as “high need” through the PL3 form receive special education services for more than 75% of the school day. With this in mind, students who are enrolled in our specialized programs and preschool students with IEPs requiring the preschool program will be able to attend school in-person five days a week in the hybrid model.

Creation of Learning Plans: Teachers or IEP liaisons will be contacting parents of students on their caseloads at the beginning of the school year to discuss how a given student’s IEP services will be delivered, if different than described in a student’s IEP, giving particular consideration to how special education services will be provided. Using input from that discussion, teachers or liaisons must provide parents with written notification containing specific information about how IEP services will be provided promptly at the start of the 2020-21 school year. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has indicated that templates will be released for these learning plans, and the district will utilize DESE’s templates when possible.

Related Services: In many cases, the individual circumstances of staff and student health and safety may dictate the availability of in-person services. These services may include speech, ABA therapies, occupational therapy, physical therapy, orientation/mobility, visual, hearing, and reading support. There will be times when teletherapy services are safest and most appropriate.

Within each building, materials may need to be assigned to individual therapists. For closer distance instruction, therapists will be provided with equipment, such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Once school begins, depending on the individual needs and schedules of students, therapists will create schedules for in-person or synchronous teletherapy services. These services will be delivered individually or in small groups with masks and social distancing. Schedules will need to accommodate the time needed to sanitize these rooms after each student or small group. Parents of children participating in the Hybrid Learning Model can expect that their children will receive a combination of in-person and teletherapies, as appropriate.

Should full closure occur after the start of the school year, the District will explore continuing in-person services on a one-to-one basis. Such a decision will be in agreement with parents, staff, and the Board of Health guidelines.

The needs of students at each grade level vary considerably. Just as no two students are alike, neither are two grade spans. Students in elementary school (grades PK-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12), have vastly different needs. The following schedules are designed to be responsive to the developmental needs of learners in a particular age group. For each grade span, we provide a general outline of the day for both remote and in-person work.

At the elementary level learning is organized into two (2) cohorts. One cohort will attend an in-person learning day, while the other cohort participates in remote learning that day. Cohorts then switch. Remote learning includes activities such as: engaging in structured activities to preview content and practice skills, receiving academic support from math and literacy specialists, special education services, and English Learner (EL) support. In-person learning includes core and special areas at school. All formal assessment happens during in-person days. Counseling, special education, and related service supports will be determined based on individual and group needs across both remote and in-person learning environments.

IN-PERSON LEARNING DAY

REMOTE LEARNING DAY

Starting the Day

• All students attend live session - “Daily Morning Meeting” (9:05-9:15)

During the Day

• Students are in school for the regular school day (9:05 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.).

• Students follow their regular schedule for both academic and special area classes.

• Students will participate in recess. Lunch will be served in classrooms.

During the Day

• Students participate in learning activities at a time that works for students and families.

• Teachers will assign due dates for all learning activities to help guide families.

• The majority of remote work is designed to allow students to work independently with support as needed.

• As appropriate, students may also be supported and taught by various educators (e.g. special educators, teachers of English Learners, related service providers, specialists, and counselors).

Ending the Day

• All students attend a live session for “Daily Closing Circle” (3:10-3:25)

Arrival

• Buses will unload one bus at a time in front of the buildings.

• Additional entrances will be identified to alleviate congestion during student arrival.

• Upon arrival, all students, regardless of their point of entrance will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer.

• Once inside of the building students will report directly to homerooms.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement.

• In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of their bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Parent Drop-off & Pick-Up

• Social distancing guidelines will be followed for parent pick-up and drop-off.

• Parents/guardians who do not remain in their vehicle will be required to wear masks.

Classes

• In-person Day: During the in-person time students will follow a regular schedule (including specialists/special areas). They will be taught their academic subjects in the classroom. Students will have opportunities to have classes outside when feasible and practical. Students will have mask breaks built into their schedules. Students will be provided with guidance by their classroom teacher on the expectations for the extension of their learning on remote days. Classroom teachers (with guidance from and resources provided by the instructional coaches) will have paper-based and/or remote activities for students.

• Remote Day: The instructional technology specialists will support both classroom teachers and the instructional coaches with technology related issues. Special educators, EL specialists, and outreach social workers will need to provide remote learning services based on their caseloads.

Lunch & Recess

• Lunch (25 minutes) will be eaten in the classroom (supervised by a teacher assistant or a monitor).

• Recess will be a structured outdoor for 20 minutes supervised by a teacher assistant or monitor.

• Students will socially distance 6 feet from each other. This could be considered a mask break if social distancing guidelines are maintained.

• Students will sanitize their hands upon return to the building.

Substitute Coverage

• Teacher assistants or building based regular substitutes.

Lunches

• Twenty-five (25) minutes for students (in their classroom)

• The distribution of lunch will be a grab and go system. Orders will be placed the day before.

Preschool

Special education students in our Integrated PK programs will attend in person learning every day. Peer partners will be organized into two (2) cohorts. One cohort will attend an in-person learning day, while the other cohort participates in remote learning on that same day. Peer partner cohorts then switch.

Hallways

• Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of a 6 foot distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building.

• To minimize hallway congestion students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible and teachers will move from room to room.

• Signage will be posted in hallways to indicate “one way” if the 6 feet cannot be maintained.

• All staff and students will be required to have masks on at all times in the hallways.

• Transitions will be staggered to avoid heavy traffic in the hallways.

Mask Breaks (minimum 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day, on a rotating basis. A class will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open) to provide all students with mask breaks.

• Efforts will be made to take students outside as often as possible.

Rest Rooms

• Students will maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities.

• Restrooms will be monitored throughout the day.

• Masks will be worn.

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• There will be a designated COVID-19 Isolation Space required per DESE guidance.

• This will provide our medical professionals a designated area to confidentially serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms.

• This room will be located in an area adjacent to the nurse’s office.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols and remote teaching and learning strategies.

At the middle school students take courses on alternating days of our six day cycle: one day in-person learning and one day of remote learning. As appropriate, in-person learning day activities include the types of activities students typically engage in when in school including core and special area subjects, special education, English Learner classes, RARE/PBIS initiatives, and all formal assessments. Remote learning day activities may include activities such as: structured activities to preview content, practice or extend skills, reading or preparation for classes, RARE/PBIS initiatives, academic support from specialists, special education, or English Learner support. Counseling and related service supports will be determined based on individual and group needs across both remote and in person learning environments.

IN-PERSON LEARNING DAY

REMOTE LEARNING DAY

Starting the Day

• All students attend live sessions either in person or remotely for morning announcements.

During the Day - In School Day

• Students are in school for the regular school day (7:30 a.m. - 2:08 p.m.).

• As appropriate, students attend their classes each day including academics, specials, and support classes (e.g., academic support, counseling, social and emotional learning, support for English Learners, and other activities).

During the Day - At Home Day

• Students will participate/engage in a structured schedule to include four core subjects through remote access.

• Students will be required to complete assignments when due.

• Teachers will deliver instruction in a manner that maintains our current scope and sequence.

• Students receiving special-education services will be supported through a co-teaching and small group instruction model.

• As appropriate, students may also be supported and taught by a variety of educators (e.g. special educators, teachers of English Learners, related service providers, librarians, specialists, and counselors).

Ending the Day

• Classroom Teacher and/or guidance counselor will meet with students for approximately 15 minutes to preview for tomorrow and address questions and/or concerns.

Dartmouth Middle School will utilize a cohort model where students will engage in in-person learning as well as remote learning activities on alternating days. “Cohort A” students will attend school in-person and receive direct instruction from classroom teachers while “Cohort B” students will engage in learning activities remotely that build upon the previous day’s in-person lesson and/or learning activity or to make progress on a project-based learning experience. Specialized Education Program students, English Learners (levels 1-2), homeless students and students in foster care may attend daily.

Meeting Physical Distancing Guidelines For In-Person Learning

Based upon the safety requirements and guidance provided by the DESE on June 25, 2020, the following measures would need to be taken in order to meet the 6 feet distancing requirements:

Arrival

• Upon arrival all students, regardless of their point of entrance, will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer and report directly to their first period class.

• Additional entrances will be identified to alleviate congestion during student arrival; seventh and eighth grade student walkers or parent drop offs will enter the school via the annex in front of the building. Sixth grade students will enter the building using the door on the north side of the building adjacent to the town hall. Students riding the bus will enter the building using the doors by the bus loop.

• Once inside of the building students will report to homerooms.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement.

• In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of their bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Classes

• Dartmouth Middle School will continue to operate on our six-day cycle. However, days will double (AA – BB – CC, etc.) so each cohort will participate each day either in-person or remotely.

• School DAY Schedule for IN SCHOOL COHORT

DAY A Cohort 1 DAY B Chort 1 DAY C Chort 1 DAY D Chort 1 DAY E Chort 1 DAY F Chort 1

DAY A Cohort 2 DAY B Chort 2 DAY C Chort 2 DAY D Chort 2 DAY E Chort 2 DAY F Chort 2

• Students will remain in their assigned homeroom for their academics – teachers will move to minimize student movement and maintain a clean environment.

• Students will report to their special areas following traffic patterns put in place. Some special areas may take place in an alternative setting so as to maintain spacing (i.e., music.)

• Due to recent guidelines instrumental music and chorus spaces will need to be adjusted.

Schedule

• The schedule time frame has been adjusted to address/support 7:30 a.m. arrival.

Lunches

• Students will have the option of bringing a lunch from home or purchasing a pre-ordered lunch.

• Lunches will be delivered to and eaten in the classrooms.

Hallways

• Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of 6 feet distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building.

• To minimize hallway congestion students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible and teachers will move from room to room.

• Signage will be posted in hallways to indicate “one way” if the 6 feet cannot be maintained.

• All staff and students will be required to have masks on at all times in the hallways.

• Transitions will be staggered to avoid heavy traffic in the hallways.

Mask Breaks (minimum 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day, on a rotating basis. During designated times, a class will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open.)

Rest Rooms

• In order to ensure that students are able to maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities, only certain identified rest rooms would be available for use.

• Restrooms will be monitored by Security staff throughout the day.

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• The designated COVID-19 Isolation Space per DESE guidance will be located in the room adjacent to the nurses office. This space will provide our medical staff a designated area to serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms confidentially.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.

GRADING

• Dartmouth Middle School grading criteria will remain the same as in our traditional setting. Additional support and opportunities will be made available to all students.

At the high school students take courses on alternating day cycles: one day of in-person learning and one day of remote learning. During in-person learning students will engage in a full range of activities as conditions permit including core academic classes, elective classes, special education, support for English Learners (ELs), other academic supports, and PASE (time focused on social-emotional learning and academic support). Counseling and related service needs will be determined based on individual and group needs across both remote and in-person learning environments. During remote learning students will engage in more independent work with support as needed. They may also engage in structured activities to preview content, practice or extend skills, read in preparation for classes, or receive special education or English Learner (ELs) support.

IN-PERSON LEARNING DAY

Starting the Day

• Students go directly to their first class to begin their day

During the Day - In School Day

• Students are in school for the regular school day (7:30 a.m. - 2:03 p.m.).

• The school will follow their regular schedule (see chart below).

• The week schedule will include reserved time for social-emotional learning and individualized support (PASE-Block).

• Classroom teachers will provide support during the remote learning day as needed during PASE (8:35 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.)

During the Day - At Home Day

• Students will engage in learning activities that are designed to allow students to work independently, but with support as needed.

• Teachers will suggest work schedules and completion times to help guide students and families.

• As appropriate, students may also be supported by a variety of educators (e.g., special educators, teachers of English Learners, related service providers, counselors, etc.) as appropriate.

Ending the Day

• Dismissal time will be staggered to avoid overcrowding in the hallways and to facilitate maintaining social distances.

Dartmouth High School will utilize a cohort model where students will engage in in-person learning as well as remote learning activities on alternating days. “Cohort A” students will attend school in-person and receive direct instruction from classroom teachers while “Cohort B” students will engage in learning activities remotely that build upon the previous day’s in-person lesson and/or learning activity or to make progress on a project-based learning experience. Specialized Education Program students, English Learners (levels 1-2), homeless and students in foster care may attend daily.

Meeting Physical Distancing Guidelines For In-Person Learning

Based upon the safety requirements and guidance provided by the DESE on June 25, 2020, the following measures would need to be taken in order to meet the 6 feet distancing requirements:

Arrival

• Upon arrival, all students, regardless of their point of entrance will sanitize their hands utilizing hand sanitizer and report directly to their first period class.

• Busses will drop off students between 7:15 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. at the Main Entrance.

• Parents dropping off their children will drive around the building and will drop-off students who will enter at the Band Entrance on the North side of the building. Students dropped off by parents may enter between 7:15 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. Students dropped off after 7:25 a.m. should enter the Main Entrance.

• Students who drive to school will park in the side parking lot and enter the building through the Athletic Department entrance between 7:15 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. on the south side of the building. Students who arrive at school after 7:25 a.m. will enter through the Main Entrance.

Dismissal

• Dismissal will be completed in waves in order to maintain appropriate distancing.

• Students who take a first-run bus will be dismissed immediately at 2:03 p.m. and will be directed to report directly to their bus adhering to traffic patterns within the hallways.

• Student drivers as well as students being picked up by parents will be dismissed by announcement at 2:10 p.m. after the hallways have cleared and first-run busses have departed.

• At 2:15 p.m. students who take second-run busses for transportation home will report to central locations to await their busses. Students on second-run busses will be distanced, by bus, in either the Carlin Lynch Activity Center or the Dining Hall. In nice weather, students will be directed to wait outside for the arrival of the second run bus while maintaining distancing guidelines.

Classes

• By cohorting students Dartmouth High School will be able to ensure that all students learn in a classroom environment that meets the minimum 6 feet distancing requirements.

• Some classes, Science and Art in particular, will need to take place in alternate classroom locations in order to achieve these requirements.

Schedule

• The 7 Plus PASE schedule will be implemented in the Hybrid Learning Model.

Lunches

• Additional lunch shifts will need to be added in order to accommodate the 6 feet of space outlined in the DESE guidance.

• In order to accommodate distancing guidelines during lunch we will need to add at-least 2 additional lunch shifts and utilize non-traditional spaces in addition to the cafeteria. The capacity is as follows: Cafeteria (103) Library Media Center (36) and the auditorium (100).

• Lunch offerings will be prepackaged (no salad bar option) and assuming a 40% participation rate and distancing precautions, students purchasing lunch will be served within the first 12 minutes of their lunch period--which is identical to the time taken pre-pandemic.

Hallways

• Students will adhere to traffic patterns. Floor markings will be added to direct travel in order to maintain a minimum of 6 feet distance during all transitional periods. Markings will be included in stairwells and throughout the building.

• Students and staff will be expected to remain masked during all transitions in the hallway.

Mask Breaks (minimum 2 per day)

• Mask breaks will be scheduled throughout the day on a rotating basis. During designated times classes will report to an area that is large enough to accommodate a minimum of 6 feet with open air (outside or windows open.)

Rest Rooms

• In order to ensure that students are able to maintain physical distancing when using the restroom facilities, only certain identified rest rooms will be available for use. This will include a gender neutral restroom, as well as one Male and one Female restroom on the B floor and one Male and Female restroom on the C floor.

• Restrooms will be monitored by a Security Monitor throughout the day.

• Masks must be worn.

COVID-19 Isolation Space

• The designated COVID-19 Isolation Space per DESE guidance will be the office adjacent to the nurse’s office. This space will provide our medical professionals a designated area to serve students who may be exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms confidentially.

Faculty & Staff COVID-19 Training

• All faculty and staff will be trained during professional development days at the outset of our return to school on the enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols.

GRADING

• Dartmouth High School grading criteria will remain the same as in our traditional setting. Additional support and opportunities will be made available to all students.

Category % of Term Grade

Classroom/Practice Opportunities 20%

Formative Assessments 30%

Summative Assessments 50%

*Students will be permitted, after completing a conference with their classroom teacher, to retake, revise or resubmit assignments within this category in order to demonstrate that they’ve mastered the intended learning outcomes assessed by the assignment.

Classwork/Practice Opportunities:

Assignments are designed to support students in building content skills and/or knowledge necessary to master the intended learning outcomes assessed on Formative/Summative Assessments. A minimum of 1 classwork/practice opportunity per 7 day cycle can be expected per class, and may include activities such as Kahoot, digital worksheets, dialectical journals, written responses to prompts based upon classroom lectures/discussions, practice sets, Flipgrid posts, or other activities as assigned by the teacher.

Formative Assessments:

Assignments that are meant to check for understanding and provide feedback to students as they progress throughout a unit of study. Formative assessments may take various forms, including, but not limited to, quizzes, written responses to prompts, discussions and/or presentations, identified benchmarks in a project-based learning experience, or other activities as assigned by the teacher. Students will be given an additional opportunity to demonstrate a deeper understanding or mastery of the standards - as driven by student need - after consultation with the teacher within one week after the return of a formative or summative assessment. The student’s second assessment grade will be used regardless of the first grade. Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Summative Assessments:

Any work product that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the intended learning outcomes of a particular unit of study. Summative assessments may include projects that require students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills for a particular unit, a traditional test, a written paper, multimedia presentation or some other product as assigned by the teacher. One of the Summative Assessments for each quarter will be a quarterly summative learning reflection. Students will be given an additional opportunity to demonstrate a deeper understanding or mastery of the standards - as driven by student need - after consultation with the teacher within one week after the return of a formative or summative assessment. The student’s second assessment grade will be used regardless of the first grade. Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Determining the Course Grades

• Year Long Courses: (T1 Grade) + (T2 Grade) + (T3 Grade) + (T4 Grade) / 4= Final Grade

• Half Year Courses: (T1 Grade) + (T2 Grade) / 2=Final Grade

All course grades with the exception of dual enrollment courses will be counted toward calculation of student GPA. A minimum passing grade of 65 must be met in order to earn credit for the course.

While remote learning cannot fully recreate the important human contact of a traditional classroom, this model will provide opportunities for authentic learning and connection within the parameters of federal and state guidelines. It is important for families to understand that the typical school day cannot be perfectly replicated through remote learning. In our efforts to shift to on-line delivery of instruction we need to be sensitive to the needs of all students, families, and staff. We understand the hardships this remote learning environment places on families and recognize that partnering with parents and guardians will be more vital than ever. Dartmouth Public Schools is committed to working in tandem with parents/guardians and providing the necessary resources to help facilitate learning in the home environment.

Dartmouth Public Schools revamped our April 2020 Remote Learning Plan to be more robust. Remote Learning Plan Task Forces were established and participated in virtual discussions in an effort to thoughtfully update our remote learning plan. The Level (Elementary, Middle and High) Remote Learning Task Forces were composed of district and building stakeholders. The Task Forces used student, family and staff survey data to define what previously worked and refine what needed improvement in our April 2020 Remote Learning Plan. The outcomes of these teams guided our approach to remote learning.

In order to provide structure to our remote learning students will be expected to follow student protocol for Google Meet during Remote Learning.

It is expected that students follow their daily schedule as if school was in person. Attendance will be taken daily and students are expected to follow school and classrooms. Grades will be given for assignment and tests will be administered.

Parents are encouraged to get their child’s Google Classroom login information in order to be aware of upcoming assignments for the week. When a parent/guardian logs in to their child’s Google classroom, they should focus on the left side tabs, Calendar and/or To Do, to see upcoming assignments. Elementary teachers will post in Google Classroom if the assessment is done with support or independently. Also a list of “Must Do” will be posted for elementary students at the beginning of the week. Teachers will be mindful of a balance of paper, physical, and screen-time activities.

On July 9, 2020, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released their comprehensive guidance related to special education services during the 2020-2021 school year. As part of this guidance, DESE has stated that:

“If in-person instruction cannot be provided and students with disabilities must receive instruction remotely in full, or in part, through a hybrid model, they must receive special education instruction and related services necessary to provide FAPE through an Instruction and Services model of delivery (e.g., structured lessons, teletherapy, video-based lessons, etc.) instead of relying solely on a Resources and Supports model (e.g., packets and assignments).”

Within a remote learning model, students are entitled to receive accommodations, instruction and services set forth on his or her IEP consistent with the need to protect the health and safety of students with disabilities, teachers and staff. The district will be making every effort to use creative strategies to provide special education instruction to students. Parents will be contacted to solicit their participation in formulating a learning plan for their child that includes a robust remote learning model for special education and a detailed schedule of when services will take place.

In support of some of our most vulnerable populations, special education students enrolled in specialized programs and preschool students who have IEPs requiring the full preschool program will receive in-person instruction to the maximum extent possible. In a remote model, districts are still required to do everything possible to provide in-person instruction to special education students in specialized programs and special education preschool students, either full-time, part-time, or in the home/community. At this time, Dartmouth is planning an in-person model that will be full-time five days per week for specialized program students (PALS, PASS, and PAThS) and half-days from 9:00-12:00 for special education preschool students who have IEPs requiring the full preschool program. Students with IEPS who are not enrolled in a specialized program will receive specialized instruction, consistent with their IEP service delivery grids, in a remote setting.

Creation of Learning Plans:

Teachers or IEP liaisons will be contacting parents of students on their caseloads at the beginning of the school year to discuss how a student’s IEP services will be delivered. If different than described in a student’s IEP, consideration will be given as to how special education services will be provided most effectively. Using input from that discussion, teachers or liaisons must provide parents with written notification containing specific information about how IEP services will be provided in the 2020-21 school year.

Category % of Term Grade

Classroom/Practice Opportunities 20%

Formative Assessments 30%

Summative Assessments 50%

*Students will be permitted, after completing a conference with their classroom teacher, to retake, revise or resubmit assignments within this category in order to demonstrate that they’ve mastered the intended learning outcomes assessed by the assignment.

Classwork/Practice Opportunities:

Assignments are designed to support students in building content skills and/or knowledge necessary to master the intended learning outcomes assessed on Formative/Summative Assessments. A minimum of 1 classwork/practice opportunity per 7 day cycle can be expected per class, and may include activities such as Kahoot, digital worksheets, dialectical journals, written responses to prompts based upon classroom lectures/discussions, practice sets, Flipgrid posts, or other activities as assigned by the teacher.

Formative Assessments:

Assignments that are meant to check for understanding and provide feedback to students as they progress throughout a unit of study. Formative assessments may take various forms, including, but not limited to, quizzes, written responses to prompts, discussions and/or presentations, identified benchmarks in a project-based learning experience, or other activities as assigned by the teacher. Students will be given an additional opportunity to demonstrate a deeper understanding or mastery of the standards - as driven by student need - after consultation with the teacher within one week after the return of a formative or summative assessment. The student’s second assessment grade will be used regardless of the first grade. Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Summative Assessments:

Any work product that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the intended learning outcomes of a particular unit of study. Summative assessments may include projects that require students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills for a particular unit, a traditional test, a written paper, multimedia presentation or some other product as assigned by the teacher. One of the Summative Assessments for each quarter will be a quarterly summative learning reflection. Students will be given an additional opportunity to demonstrate a deeper understanding or mastery of the standards - as driven by student need - after consultation with the teacher within one week after the return of a formative or summative assessment. The student’s second assessment grade will be used regardless of the first grade. Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Determining the Course Grades

• Year Long Courses: (T1 Grade) + (T2 Grade) + (T3 Grade) + (T4 Grade) / 4= Final Grade

• Half Year Courses: (T1 Grade) + (T2 Grade) / 2=Final Grade

All course grades with the exception of dual enrollment courses will be counted toward calculation of student GPA. A minimum passing grade of 65 must be met in order to earn credit for the course.