Dear Westford Families,

We are writing to request that you:

1) Read this letter in its entirety

2) Complete the short survey below to indicate the learning model you are selecting for your child(ren) in April

a) Survey is required for all students in gr. K-11 (one survey per student)

b) Deadline: Tuesday (3/16) at 4:00 PM

c) Link to survey is at the bottom of this document, separated by grade-span

Last Friday the Board of Education approved Commissioner Riley’s request to grant him the authority to determine when hybrid and remote learning models no longer count for Structured Learning Time. This amendment prioritizes in-person instruction, resulting in schools returning to a full-time, in-person learning model this spring, with continued health and safety processes in place. While the Commissioner outlined a timeline for this full return, he encouraged districts to return as soon as possible (i.e. prior to his identified dates) if/when feasible. Please know, the Remote Learning Academy (RLA) model will continue to be an option for students through the end of this school year. If you are currently in RLA, you do have the option to opt-in to the full return model in April (i.e. the full return in April is not exclusive to current hybrid students.)

The timeline for Westford Public Schools to shift to a full return is as follows:

Elementary: April 5

MS & HS: Late April (date will be determined at the School Committee meeting on 3/15)

We have missed seeing our students on a daily basis and are excited to have our schools resemble some level of normalcy for our children! As you can imagine, a mid-year shift of this magnitude will have challenging tradeoffs. For instance, administrators may have to re-balance classrooms, resulting in students having a different teacher. Classroom spaces may change to accommodate the increased number of students in each classroom (at a minimum of 3’of distancing). Some schedules will have to be rewritten so students’ routines may change. All of these trade-offs will be handled delicately and, while these types of changes will be difficult for some, we will have the children’s emotional wellness in mind as we develop our plans.

The leadership team has been meeting routinely to prepare for this full return and sort out the many moving parts. We understand you may have many questions and, while not all of them will be answered in this communication, we encourage you to tune into the School Committee meeting on Monday, March 15 where this plan will be introduced in more detail. Other questions will not be able to be answered yet because, similar to the fall return, the number and distribution of students who will be returning versus those who will be shifting to or remaining in RLA will have an impact on the planning. For example, we are not able to identify which students will experience a new teacher(s) or a different schedule until we receive survey results to know how much movement there is.

To that end, we ask that you complete the survey, linked below, to indicate the learning model your child will participate in from April through the end of the year (full, in-person return or the Remote Learning Academy).

Below are a few broad clarifying FAQs:

Q: Why are we going back with 3’ of distancing when we have been using 6’ as our benchmark? Per the Commissioner: The CDC recommends 6’ of distancing in its guidance. DESE will continue to recommend 3’ when all other mitigation measures are in place. This is supported by the World Health Organization, local public health experts, infectious disease physicians, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Governor’s Medical Advisory Board. Please see this letter to Commissioner Riley authored by over 60 medical experts and this study of Massachusetts Schools that was published on 3/10/21.

Q: Will the schools continue to have practices in place to minimize/prevent transmission of COVID19? Yes - the many health and safety strategies that have been adopted will continue to be in place - e.g. masks required for all students (unless medically unable), hand sanitizer stations throughout the buildings, disinfecting wipes available to wipe all surfaces, hallway foot-traf ic procedures, etc.

Q: In this full return, what will lunch look like? In all buildings, students will be placed 6’ apart during lunch. Each school facility has its own benefits and challenges so the lunch routine will vary from building to building. Outdoor spaces will be utilized as much as possible. Lunch for purchase will continue to be “grab-and-go” to avoid “hot lunch” lines and to make it easier for carrying lunch to other locations (e.g. outdoors).

Q: What will transportation look like? DESE’s transportation guidance (2/11/21) can be found here. We will be assessing our transportation needs based on the survey results and work with the bus company to prepare for the full return.

Q: What will the Kindergarten hours be? The hours for kindergarten students will remain the same: 9:05 AM -12:20 PM. Similar to our current in-school schedule, students will not have a lunch period but will have the opportunity to take a “grab-and-go” lunch home with them at dismissal time. There will continue to be remote extended instruction opportunities for eligible students in the afternoons.

Q. Will my child (gr. K-8) return the Chromebook that was provided? No. For the remainder of this year, students will continue to use the Chromebook that was provided to them. Please have your child bring the device to and from school each day.

Q: What will be the Preschool hours? Preschool families do not have to complete the survey. Students will attend preschool for a half-day session from 9:05 AM - 11:35 AM or 12:40 PM - 3:10 PM or a full day session from 9:05 AM - 3:05 PM, Monday thru Thursday and 9:05 AM -11:35 AM on Friday. The number of days and amount of hours are per the child’s IEP.

Q: How many classes will Westford Academy students attend each day? Students will keep their 7 courses but attend 5 classes each day (drop 2).

Q. If my child is in Grade 12 and won’t be in school after April 26 due to the Senior Experience, do I have to complete the survey? No. The high school survey is for grades 9-11 because the seniors will be out of the building on their “Senior Experience”. There is only a small number of students who will not be participating in the “Senior Experience” and those individuals will be communicated with directly.

We understand that this change to a full return in April is exciting for some and disappointing or scary for others. Many of you already have your decision made, while others would prefer to wait to hear more information at Monday evening’s School Committee meeting. In any case, we ask that you please complete one survey per child by Tuesday at 4:00 PM. All families of students in Gr. K-11, regardless of your choice, must complete the survey by the deadline.

PLEASE COMPLETE ONE SURVEY PER CHILD VIA THE LINK(S) BELOW:

Gr. K-2 Survey* * PK surveys are not necessary

Gr. 3-5 Survey

Gr. 6-8 Survey

Gr. 9-11 Survey* *gr. 12 surveys are not necessary

Thank you for your attention and for your ongoing cooperation throughout this school year. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions and… don’t forget to “spring (your clocks) ahead” this weekend!

Sincerely,

Everett V. Olsen, Jr., Superintendent of Schools

Kerry Clery, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction