Clinton public schools are set to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 8 under a hybrid model for at least four weeks. The hope is that with a slow phase-in, the schools will be able to open full time in October.

At a Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Aug. 18, the board voted to push the start date for schools back a week to Sept. 8 mainly due to ongoing roof work that was delayed due to power and weather issues from Tropical Storm Isaias. BOE Chair Erica Gelven explained that besides the work that needs to be completed on the roofs, the extra time before the new year gives the schools a chance “to kind of make sure are procedures are right and make sure the staff is properly trained.”

Due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, plans can change quickly. Readers are encouraged to check www.clintonpublic.net and click the “Reopening Schools 2020” tab to get the latest updates on reopening. The complete reopening plans and a helpful FAQ for parents can be found there.

Hybrid Model

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, when schools reopen this fall, they will look very different from fall 2019. Clinton will be using a hybrid model, which combines in-person and remote learning. Under this model, the schools will be divided into smaller cohorts based on last name.

Cohort A will include students with last names beginning with letters A through K. These students will attend school in-person on Monday and Tuesday and do distance learning on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Cohort B will include students with last names beginning with letters L through Z. These students will do learning on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and attend school in-person on Thursday and Friday. Families have also been given the chance to go fully remote, with learning done from home.

After five weeks, if certain public health metrics are met, the plan is to move to in-school learning. If all goes according to plan, this would happen sometime in mid-October.

The school surveyed about 1,000 parents to gauge their thoughts on what the parents were planning with reopening. The results indicated roughly 80 percent of responders would be sending their kids to school with the hybrid model, while 18 percent were opting for fully remote and 2 percent were exploring other options.

The remote learning that students will participate in this fall will look different than the remote plan that was used last spring when the schools closed in March. There will be times it is mandatory for the students to be attending virtual class as well as flexible time where the student can complete tasks on their own time.

According to a FAQ section on the Clinton Public School’s website, “the new remote learning plan will utilize the same framework and platforms (SeeSaw and Google Classroom) but will mandate more synchronous (real-time) teaching and learning. Students and teachers will have a set schedule that will involve close to 50 percent synchronous online learning with teachers, blended with asynchronous experiences for students. Support services will be in place for students who receive specialized instruction as outlined in individualized education plans or through intervention services that are specific to identified student needs.”

Students will be provided with Chromebooks or Chrome Tablets for use throughout the year.

The Physical Layout

For the students who are in the schools, desks will be spaced out to observe social distancing protocols and masks will be worn at all times. Students will also sit apart and wear masks on the school buses, which are expected to have less ridership this year.

Lunches will be served as a grab and go option at The Morgan School (grades 9 to 12), while at the Joel School and Eliot School kids will eat lunch in their class rooms. Classrooms and bathrooms in all schools will be regularly sanitized and hand sanitizer will be placed in classrooms.

Shared materials in classes will be reduced as much as possible to minimize what needs to be touched.

The ability for the hybrid plan to work as best as possible will be determined by the local infections rates and other secondary metrics as determined by the department of public health. It is possible that the school model will change if the local COVID numbers cannot be contained.

Should a student test positive for COVID, the district’s website states that parents will be notified of any positive tests and the recommended actions to be taken. The local health department will review the situations to determine the need for quarantine.

“[I]t is likely that a positive test within a cohort will require those who were in close contact to isolate for the 14-day period,” the website states.

Some Clinton residents may be wondering if the Pierson School, a former middle school in town that closed its doors last year, could be used to help spread students out more. According to the district’s website, that is not a viable option. The school is no longer under the control of the BOE, and would need substantial work to make suitable for use. It would also require the BOE spending more money than it has allotted on staff to operate the building.

Gelven said that she is confident that the plan the schools have is the best one to keep students and staff safe.

“I feel it is a plan well based in public health guidance a scientific basis provided to make decisions,” Gelven said.

The Harbor News and Zip06.com will continue to monitor the schools’ reopening plans and readers should routinely check www.clintonpublic.net for regular updates on how the schools are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.