Revere Public Schools to Hold Virtual Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Reopening Schools in the Fall

According to Charlene Logue, Revere Teachers Association (RTA) 1st
Vice President, during an Executive Board meeting a motion was passed
unanimously that the RTA will recommend Revere Public Schools implement a phased in approach to reopening schools in the fall and begin the school year with remote teaching.

The motion and adoption of the RTA supporting a phased in approach comes just before Revere Public Schools will host a virtual Town Hall on Thursday, July 30 to begin addressing how to safely reopen schools in the fall. In late June, Governor Charlie Baker’s office and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released several guidance documents about reopening schools this fall. RPS Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly said over the last three weeks, six teams of faculty, staff, parents, and students have used the state’s guidance to begin to develop a draft plan for reopening this fall.

“Districts are required to develop three 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,” said Kelly. Kelly said the teams focused their work on several
key areas that included teaching and learning with plans for in-person learning, hybrid learning, and remote learning, including technology needs and training; student supports with plans to address mental
health and trauma; personnel and staffing with plans to manage staff assignments, supporting staff with high risk medical conditions, addressing the need for possible additional staff to assist with instruction, possible additional needs for tutors, and ways to provide additional support including recruitment of volunteers as needed; special education, English learners as well as other special student populations; facilities and operations–including cleaning and sanitation, classroom/building set-up
and flow, and food services; and finally transportation including bus transportation capacity and safety protocols, management of increased traffic flow from families who decide to drop off/pick up their children,
promotion of alternatives such as walking and biking.

“We applaud 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, social, and emotional needs,” said Kelly.

The virtual Town Hall will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday and residents can register at https://us02web.zoom. us/j/84425266308?pwd=Z-2VlenZpVzNaR25DYXJ0YTMwZVpDUT09# success.

“Each team will present their draft decisions for roughly 10 minutes and
then take any questions,” said Kelly about Thursday’s meeting. “The draft plan will also be posted for public comment from July 30 through August 4. Any feedback from the Virtual Town Hall or through public comment will be weighted by the teams for inclusion in our final plans which will be released on August 10.”

Kelly said RPS’s main priority in all decision making will focus on the safety
of its staff and students. “We will only return to in person instruction either hybrid or fully if we can do so safely,” she said. “Your input is critically important to us and we hope you will be able to lend your voice.”