Students and teachers in Guilford dove into the district’s new hybrid model last week, stepping into classrooms and logging onto Chromebooks as the school’s plans and preparations over the last several months were tested against the reality of school.

Following two days of orientation, around 2,800 Guilford children and teens went through a mix of in-person classes and distance-learning lessons, with 315 (about 10 percent) remaining at home after opting out of the in-person portion of the hybrid model.

While warning that there would certainly be hiccups and difficulties going forward, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman characterized the opening so far as a success, emphasizing to the Board of Education (BOE) at a meeting last week how happy both students and teachers were to see each other again after more than six months of restrictions.

“It is really nice to be able to tell you that the kids are back,” Freeman said, “and you can tell that they’re smiling behind their masks, and they are adapting. And the schools feel safe and comfortable and joyful with kids in them once again.”

Even with some rising infection numbers and a handful of school buildings around the state shutting down, with students taught entirely remotely, after virus cases, Freeman reiterated the plan remains for Guilford to return to a fully in-person school on Monday, Oct. 19 after one month in the hybrid model.

Freeman also provided other updates on the reopening, including reimbursements for the school’s pandemic expenses, sports, bus-riding, teacher training, and staffing- an area of particular uncertainty as many districts have struggled to retain or find teachers during the pandemic.

Only two certified positions are currently open in the district, which is also still looking to hire a “handful” of support jobs, including building substitutes and paraprofessionals, according to Freeman.

“It is really, really nice, after weekly board meetings since early June, to be able to tell you that our staff came back, and we were staffed to a degree that we did not have to collapse classrooms or raise class sizes. They’re here, and they’re supporting the children of Guilford,” he said.

Class sizes have been reduced across the board, with only “two or three” high school classes breaking 20 students, according to Freeman, though to do that, some electives were canceled and some advanced courses had to be “locked out.”

After seven days of professional development, at least part of which was focused on teacher mental health and coping mechanisms, Freeman said he felt like educators in the district had worked “significantly and diligently” to prepare for the uncertain circumstances of the pandemic.

Freeman also emphasized that technical difficulties were inevitable, and asked community members to continue to show the same support and trust they did last school year as the district works to adapt to all the new technology.

“We will be learning, we will be making mistakes, and we will be getting better this year,” Freeman said. “I think it’s one of the things that makes Guilford a special place...I humbly remind the parent community that there will be...a need for that understanding and patience and grace as we begin this year.

“We will get better, and we will master [those things],” he added.

One issue teachers are working through is massive audio feedback loops when multiple at-home students are connected to the in-person students in a classroom, something that doesn’t have an immediate or obvious solution, according to Freeman.

Buses have seen very low ridership, he said, which the district is entirely comfortable with, though all buses continue to run. Guilford Police Chief Butch Hyatt said multiple police officers will be working to help with traffic at least through the first month of school, which has at times been heavy, both in the morning and afternoon.

Looking forward, Freeman said the schools were optimistic that the district will be able to safely bring its students back for the long haul, though decisions to remain hybrid, return fully in-person, or “retreat” to a remote learning model will continue to be based on external factors.

“We’re only opened partially at this date, I hope that on [Oct.] 19 that we will open fully, and I hope that we will stay open from Oct. 19 to June 17 fully,” Freeman said. “But please know that we also recognize the compromises and the sacrifices that were made to get us here, and we do not minimize those. Every principal and every central office administrator will continue to work with parents who are helping their students navigate those losses and those compromises.”