PCSS REOPENING PLAN 2020-2021

PIONEER CHARTER SCHOOLS OF SCIENCE

AUGUST 14, 2020

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A Note from the Chief Executive Officer

Dear PCSS Community,

I would like to start by thanking you for your support and commitment during these unprecedented times. We live in a very different world now compared to what things were like six months ago. Like you, we are all feeling anger, sadness, and frustration with the “new normal”. But we are also eager to support our students in any way we can this fall.

When we were forced to close our buildings due to COVID-19, we quickly finalized our plans for remote learning to ensure continuity in instruction. However, we know that no amount of remote learning can replace the in-person live instruction that our students used to experience in their classrooms prior to the pandemic. Therefore, we all look forward to seeing our students in person this fall. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 will be with us this year and will force us to adapt our reopening plans to changing circumstances.

As you may already know the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) required school districts to develop three different learning models as part of their reopening plans. We realize that no plan will satisfy all. Our priority has been and will continue to be the safety of our community and the needs of our students. While our goal has always been to get as many of our students back to our buildings possible safely, we will execute a phased reopening due to the current COVID-19 rates in the communities we serve.

Based on the recent public health metrics and increase in positivity rates for the communities we serve we believe the safest way to start the school year will be through a remote program. While most of our students will be on remote learning at home, we will invite a group of our high need students to our campuses for additional support. After four weeks we will review the public health metrics and when it is safe to do so, we will proceed to a hybrid model where we will have 50% of our students in our campuses at any given time. We will also provide a remote only option to parents who do not want to have their students to take part in the hybrid learning model. At this point we do not believe we will be able to offer a full in-person learning model.

Although this decision is not easy and we know no model is perfect, we truly believe that this phased reopening plan is the only safe option that will still allow students to learn and to thrive in the coming school year. As this is a fluid situation, our plans will evolve as needed and will be based on the best information that is currently available. We will continue to make decisions based on the best interests of our students.

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The start of the 2020-21 school year will undoubtedly be very different from anything our students, staff and families have experienced, but we know that together we can face this challenge. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to create a safe learning environment for our students and staff.

Respectfully,

Dr. Barish Icin, CEO Pioneer Charter Schools of Science

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Executive Summary

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, a stuffy or runny nose, diarrhea, headache, and new loss of taste or smell. COVID-19 can be transmitted in three ways: close contact transmission, long-range transmission, and transmission from contaminated surfaces. Transmission can be minimized by physical distancing, wearing face masks, hand hygiene, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces. increasing outdoor air ventilation and staying home when feeling sick.

The DESE required districts to plan for three scenarios in their reopening plans: in-person learning with new safety requirements, a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, and the continuation of remote learning. The DESE recently released a color-coded COVID-19 metrics to help districts make reopening decisions. Based on the current COVID-19 metrics PCSS will reopen with a remote learning model.

After four weeks we will review the public health metrics and when it is safe to do so, we will proceed to a hybrid model where we will have 50% of our students in our campuses at any given time. Parents will be able to sign up for the Remote Learning Academy if they do not want to send their children to school for hybrid learning. We will ask parents to select from one of the two options in the coming days so that we can plan accordingly for each program. Parents will be able to switch between two options. However, there will be a waiting period before such a change can occur.

Students’ instructional experience will be managed through a new learning management system (Schoology). This new LMS will provide a single entry point for students and parents. It is fully integrated with our current student information system (PowerSchool).

The remote learning program for all students will include daily synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. Student attendance will be taken through daily log-ins into the learning management system (Schoology) or attendance at the synchronous sessions.

PCSS hybrid learning model will include a combination of in-person learning at the school and remote learning that will take place in students’ homes. Students will be divided into two groups, group A and group B. While students in group A will participate in in-person learning at the school, students in group B will be participating in remote learning at home. The next day groups will alternate. Students in group B will participate in in-person learning while students in

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group A will be at home participating in remote learning. We will also invite a select group of students with high needs every day for in-person instruction during the hybrid learning model.

Instruction will start on September 3rd for the remote learning model. We will use August 31st through September 2nd for relationship building, student and parent training, and school expectation presentations. Our staff training will start on August 17th.

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Background

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Some people who become infected become seriously ill, others experience mild symptoms, and others never show symptoms. Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, a stuffy or runny nose, diarrhea, headache, and new loss of taste or smell. COVID-19 can be transmitted in three ways: close contact transmission, long-range transmission, and transmission from contaminated surfaces.

When infectious people exhale, speak, cough, sneeze, or sing, they produce large virus-laden droplets that can land in another person’s mouth, nose, or eyes, as well as smaller virus-laden aerosols that can be inhaled directly into another person’s respiratory tract. Droplet and aerosol transmission can be minimized by physical distancing, wearing face masks, and staying home when feeling sick.

Aerosols that are produced when an infected person exhales, speaks, sneezes, or coughs and that contain the COVID-19 virus can also stay aloft and travel in the airflow around a room. In addition to physical distancing, wearing masks, and staying home when sick, long-range transmission can be reduced by increasing outdoor air ventilation, which dilutes the concentration of airborne virus, or filtering air recirculating in a room or building.

Surfaces like desks, tables, playground equipment, or water fountains can be contaminated if an infected person coughs or sneezes directly on them or into their hands and then touches the surface before washing or sanitizing his or her hands. Others may then touch the surface and touch their nose, mouth, or eyes without washing or sanitizing their hands first. Transmission by contaminated surfaces can be reduced through frequent cleaning and disinfection of commonly touched objects and through frequent handwashing.

The personal risk for COVID-19 infection depends on how susceptible a person is based on age, sex, immune status, pre-existing conditions, and genetics. But risk can also be affected by factors outside of the individual — the number of cases in the community, housing and work environments, the local health care system’s capacity, and how well available treatments work.

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Source: Parabola Project

Context

On June 25, 2020, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued its initial guidance for fall school reopening. After weeks of discussions with many stakeholders, including infectious disease physicians, pediatricians, and other public health experts; a thorough review of the medical literature; and evaluating what works best for students, the Commissioner of Education decided to prioritize getting students back to school in person—safely, following a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements.

The DESE recognizes that there is no substitute for in-person instruction when it comes to the quality of students’ academic learning. Moreover, school plays an important role in supporting students’ social-emotional needs, including their mental and physical health. The medical community supports the return of students to in-person learning, with appropriate health and safety guardrails in place.

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The DESE required districts to plan for three scenarios in their reopening plans: in-person learning with new safety requirements, a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, and the continuation of remote learning.

PCSS Fall Reopening Plans

We have been closely following the transmission rates and developments in Massachusetts. We have been reviewing various DESE guidelines and additional guidance documents from leading public health experts (including but not limited to Harvard Department of Public Health and Parabola Project) to ensure we can open our schools safely to support our students’ holistic needs.

Based on the DESE and Harvard Department of Public Health recommendations our guiding principles have been:

Layered defenses: We will not rely on just one mitigation strategy. We will deploy a combination of interventions and strategies together to substantially reduce the risk of transmission.

Shared responsibilities: Safely reopening schools will require continuous collaboration and cooperation between staff, students, and parents. Establishing a culture of health and safety in our schools will be crucial.

Limiting transmission chains: We will keep classes separate as much as possible. Within a classroom, students will be physically separated as much as possible.

Being flexible: The fluidity of the situation and the dynamic nature of knowledge requires a flexible and adaptive approach.

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Equity in mind: COVID-19 in general and school closures in particular disproportionately impacted certain segments of the population. We will focus on equity in our reopening plans.

We would like to emphasize that our understanding of COVID-19 and our reopening plans are fluid. We will make decisions prioritizing the safety of our community while also attending the needs of our students. Our decisions will be based on science, expert guidance, and the best available information. We may need to quickly adapt and change our approach based on local transmission rates and improved understanding of the COVID-19.

Public Health Metrics

Reliable public health metrics must dictate when we should proceed with any large-scale in person reopening. We will use Department of Public Health (DPH) COVID-19 metrics in our decision-making process to switch between different learning models. While we will start the year with a remote learning model, we will closely review DPH data before we move to a hybrid learning model.

The DPH will be providing color-coded metrics for each community based on average daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000.

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We will monitor whether cases are increasing or decreasing as compared to the prior period. The local positivity rate will also be another important metric we will continue to monitor.

Based on the most current data most of the communities we serve are coded either red or yellow. Moreover, majority of communities have positivity rates close to or higher than 5%.

Health and Safety Requirements

Based on current scientific understanding, COVID-19 spreads when people are in relatively close proximity, through respiratory droplets generated through coughing, sneezing, or talking to an infected person. Among the most effective preventive measures – when used consistently and in combination – are masks/face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces. Below is a list of strategies we will implement throughout our buildings to ensure the health and safety of our community. Implemented together, these strategies will lower the risk of transmission in our classrooms and buildings.

Face Masks: Masks/face coverings are among the most critical components of risk reduction. When worn properly, masks limit the spread of droplets and smaller aerosols when people breathe, speak, cough, or sneeze. Students in grades 2 and above and adults in school buildings will be required to wear a mask. Students in kindergarten and grade 1 will be encouraged to wear a mask. We will provide training on how to wear and care for masks. There will be scheduled mask breaks during the day. Masks will be required on school buses for all grade levels.

Physical Distancing: Physical distancing lowers the probability that a person either infects someone else or becomes infected by someone else. We will aim for a six feet distance between individuals. Classroom spaces will be reconfigured, and excess furniture will be taken out. Desks will be spaced out and face the same direction.

Student Groups: We will keep class groups as distinct and as separate as possible to prevent or slow transmission chains. The student movement will be limited. We will avoid large gatherings, both in and outside of school.

Home Health Screening: Students and staff will be required complete a daily health self-screen prior to arriving at school. We will provide a checklist of symptoms to our parents and staff to review daily. Parents will be asked to report daily on a school-provided platform that their child(ren) are symptom-free before

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sending them to school. Anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms, is being tested for COVID-19, or tests positive for COVID-19 must stay home.

Hand Hygiene: We will promote good hand washing or hand sanitizing practices as an effective preventative precaution. Students and staff will be asked to exercise hand hygiene (hand washing or sanitizing) upon arrival to school, before eating, before putting on and taking off masks, and before dismissal. We will provide training on proper hand hygiene.

Cleaning and Disinfecting: Cleaning and disinfecting will occur at least daily for shared spaces and furniture. For high-touch surfaces (e.g., door handles, light switches, handrails), cleaning and disinfecting will occur multiple times per day between uses. We will limit the sharing of objects to the extent possible.

Isolation Space: In order to minimize transmission of COVID-19, we will have an isolated space available for students displaying COVID-19 symptoms in each building. This space will be separate from the nurse’s office.

Ventilation: We will increase outdoor air circulation through the HVAC systems or opening windows. Our HVAC guiding principles will include:

• maximizing fresh air coming in and exhaust going out. • minimizing air recirculation wherever possible. • increasing and sustain air filter efficiency wherever possible.

When needed we will supplement with portable air cleaners.

Lunches: Lunches will be eaten in the classrooms or at designated spaces adhering to strict safety protocols.

Visitors: We will limit parent and visitor access to buildings. We will designate a single entry and exit point for all visitors. Visitors will be allowed when it is absolutely necessary. They will be screened and logged in before accessing the building.

COVID-19 Protocols: The DESE issued standard heath protocols for districts to follow when there is an actual or possible case of COVID-19 infection. Those protocols can be found by following this link: http://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/2020-0717protocols-document.docx

Scenarios for individual exposure or individual positive tests are contained in the protocols. Specific protocols include:

• Student or staff tests positive for COVID-19 • Close contact of student or staff tests positive for COVID-19 • Student is symptomatic on the bus

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• Student is symptomatic at school • Staff is symptomatic at home • Staff is symptomatic at school

Multiple protocols for potential school closure are also included in the guidance. Specific scenarios include:

• Presence of multiple cases in the school or district • Presence of significant number of new cases in a municipality • Statewide regression to a previous reopening phase

PCSS will be adhering to these protocols.

Parent Survey Results

A total of 832 parents from all three campuses responded to the PCSS parent survey. The participation rate and results were similar across all school locations. The hybrid learning model was the most preferred learning model at all locations. When asked to choose from three different learning models (in-person, hybrid, and remote) 75% of the parents indicated that they either mostly preferred or somewhat preferred the hybrid learning model. The below chart provides results of parent choices (most preferred or somewhat preferred) for each learning model.

49%

75%

56%

Full in-person Hybrid Remote

% most preferred or somewhat preferred

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Learning Models

In-Person Learning Model

Implementation of an in-person learning model for all students will be done by strictly adhering to the health and safety requirements, altering classroom configurations, and modifying schedules. Having all students at once in our buildings will impose additional logistical and operational hurdles. Therefore, based on our feasibility study of facilities, our belief in aspiring for 6ft distancing, and our parents’ preferences, we do not find inviting all of our students back to our buildings feasible at this point.

Hybrid Learning Model

PCSS hybrid learning model will include a combination of in-person learning (with health and safety requirements) at the school and remote learning that will take place in students’ homes. Students will be divided into two groups, group A and group B. We plan to place siblings into the same groups. While students in group A will participate in in-person learning at the school, students in group B will be participating in remote learning at home. The next day groups will alternate. Students in group B will participate in in-person learning while students in group A will be at home participating in remote learning. We will also invite a select group of students with high needs every day for in-person instruction during the hybrid learning model.

Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Group A In-person Remote In-person Remote In-person

Group B Remote In-person Remote In-person Remote

Week 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Group A Remote In-person Remote In-person Remote

Group B In-person Remote In-person Remote In-person

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Students’ instructional experience will be managed through a new learning management system (Schoology). This new LMS will provide a single entry point for students and parents. It is fully integrated with our current student information system (PowerSchool). Schoology training for staff, students and parents will be available. School administrators will closely follow student engagement and progress on Schoology.

The hybrid learning model provides more physical safety because there will be fewer students in the building on any given day. The limited number of students in the building will enable us to adhere to 6ft requirements in classrooms and other communal areas.

During in-person days students will stay in self-contained groups to the maximum extent possible. We will limit student travel and keep them in the same classroom as much as possible.

In elementary grades, students will stay in their classrooms during in-person days. They will travel for physical education and recess. They will stay in their classrooms for enrichment periods. During remote learning days, elementary grade students will follow a schedule similar to in-person days. They will have both synchronous (live, virtual learning with a staff member present) and asynchronous (independent, student-directed learning that can be completed with or without a computer) activities. Assigned staff members will lead some of the activities.

In middle school grades, students will stay in their classrooms during in-person days. They will travel for physical education and recess (and for lab activities when needed). They will stay in their classrooms for enrichment periods. During remote learning days middle school students will follow a schedule similar to in-person days. They will have both synchronous and asynchronous activities. Assigned staff members will check in to provide support.

Similar to the elementary and middle school grades, the high school program will keep students in self-contained classrooms to the extent possible. Freshmen and sophomores will stay in their classrooms throughout the day and will travel for physical education classes and recess during in-person days. During remote learning days, they will complete synchronous and asynchronous activities. Assigned staff members will check in with them weekly.

We will keep juniors and seniors stationary as much as possible during in-person days. To accomplish this juniors and seniors will leave at the end of the fifth period during in-person days. Electives will happen in the afternoon remotely. During the remote learning days, juniors and seniors will follow a schedule

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similar to in-person days and complete asynchronous activities. Assigned staff members will check in with them weekly.

Student schedules during the hybrid model will be based on our regular full in-person schedule. Student in elementary school will have daily blocks of literacy, writing, and mathematics. They will also have science, social studies and specials on a weekly schedule. In middle and high school, students will be assigned to eight periods a day of instructional time. Each period will be 44 minutes long. During in-person days classes will start at 7:45 am. Dismissal will start at 2:47 pm. Advisories and intervention blocks will happen during the remote learning part of the hybrid learning model.

Optional Remote Learning Academy: Parents will be able to sign up for the Remote Learning Academy if they do not want to send their children to school for hybrid learning. We will ask parents to select from one of the two options in the coming days so that we can plan accordingly for each program. Parents will be able to switch between two options. However, there will be a waiting period before such a change can occur.

Students in the Remote Learning Academy will follow a schedule similar to the students in the hybrid learning model. Students will complete both synchronous and asynchronous activities at the Remote Learning Academy. In elementary grades, assigned staff members will lead daily synchronous learning activities. In middle and high school, students will be able to join the live broadcast from the classrooms during the in-person learning days (recordings will also be available). They will complete similar activities during remote learning days. In addition, they will have staff members assigned to the Remote Learning Academy that will periodically check with them and provide additional support. We will continue to monitor the developments regarding DESE supported learning management systems that might be available for students who will be on all remote learning. We reserve our right to assign students to the DESE platform as opposed to the program described above.

Remote Learning Model

The remote learning program for all students will include daily synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. Student attendance will be taken through daily log-ins into the learning management system (Schoology) or attendance at the synchronous sessions. The attendance policy expectations will be similar to the in-person learning program. Recorded synchronous sessions will be available for students who miss a synchronous session.

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Students will follow a remote learning schedule that would be very similar to a regular in-person bell schedule. To the extent possible, classes will meet at the same time each day to provide consistency to students. Students will continue to have access to the same course load (i.e. no decrease to electives, AP classes, or college prep support), with extra attention paid to providing support services to our high need students. Student start time and end time might be adjusted during remote learning model.

School administrators will closely monitor student engagement and progress through the learning management system and assessments given. Teachers will be expected to follow their scope and sequence and request support when they are falling behind. The work given to students will be purposeful, rigorous, engaging, and aligned with state and college prep standards.

Student adjustment and college guidance counselors will work with their students through scheduled live sessions. They will also have office hours for students.

Student work will be graded based on the PCSS rubric. Students will take their benchmarks and finals at home. The grading policy will be the same with an in-person learning model.

Teachers and administrators will continuously communicate with parents. Translation services will be available for limited English proficient parents and guardians. Teachers will follow their daily schedules with their students. Teachers will collaborate through grade and department meetings done remotely. During these meetings, they will coordinate the work assigned to students, monitor curriculum progress, and arrange support for struggling students. We will use the same PCSS curriculum for in-person or remote learning.

High Need Students

We will closely monitor the engagement and progress of our students with high needs. Special education and EL department members will have weekly meetings to review progress and recommend changes if needed. Parent meetings will be held remotely with translation services available when needed. Students will receive their special education and EL services remotely or in-person (when possible). We will adhere to the DESE guidance for the provision of services.

A group of students with high needs will be invited for in-person learning for all days of the week during the hybrid learning model (and when appropriate during remote learning model). During the remote learning model, these identified

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students will have staff members assigned to them to check-in with them and monitor their progress at least three times a week.

We will continue to hold IEP meetings and continuously communicate with parents.

Support Programs

We will continue to provide our Saturday and after school tutoring programs in-person or remotely (depending on circumstances). Students will be invited to these programs by their teachers. Numbers will be limited to ensure physical distancing and distinct student groups.

Our counselors will continue to provide social-emotional support during all learning models. They will hold office hours for individual students and virtual meetings for groups of students. They will provide training and support to teachers in social-emotional support and mental health.

Assessment System

We will continue to administer benchmarks and final exams to monitor student progress on curricular goals. Some of the assessment platforms may be adjusted depending on the circumstances.

School Calendar

Instruction will start on September 3rd for the remote learning model. We will use August 31st through September 2nd for relationship building, student and parent training, and school expectations presentations. We will provide more information about class schedules as we get closer to the start of the school. Please keep in mind that due to the dynamic nature of the situation, school start date and learning model might be adjusted when circumstances require. If this happens, we will notify our parents promptly.

Our staff training prior to opening will start on August 17th and will continue until the first day of classes.