For Massachusetts Schools, It's Finals Week

In-person, remote or hybrid? That's the question that has been asked in every school district across Massachusetts, and an answer is due Friday.

Local districts must submit their final plans to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on how they intend on safely returning to learning. The initial deadline of Monday was extended after some districts requested more time to wrap up local meetings.

Districts have to explain not only how they will start the school year, but also options for the models they aren't choosing, should circumstances require a change on the fly.

"Districts should be ready to move among the different models during the year; for this reason, the other two models should also be addressed in your submission," DESE guidance reads in bold, underlined type.

Districts less than two weeks ago submitted preliminary plans for how they would return to school. The submission due Friday should have community feedback from that plan as well.

Many districts are opting to begin the year with a hybrid model. The specifics of the hybrid return vary from district to district, but they all have at least some students attending in-person class some of the time and learning from home the rest of the time. Students aren't required to return to class and can opt for the fully remote option.

Some districts, including Somerville, Malden, Wayland and Barnstable, are returning to school exclusively remotely, at least to start.

Remote Learning Option Likely Won't Involve Local Teachers

All options carry with them benefits and risks that vary from family to family. Some who worry about health risks to their children want to keep them home, but are fearful of a repeat of the spring's remote learning shortcomings. Others want to send their kids to school, but an irregular school schedule makes it hard to plan.

Then there are the teachers.

The state has encouraged districts to prioritize getting as many children back to school as possible. But more students could necessitate more teachers, and it's unclear how many are willing to return as soon as September.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state's largest union of educators, is among those calling for a remote start to school. "#OnlyWhenItsSafe" has been a hashtag used by the MTA and other local teacher unions as educators push for what they say is a return that doesn't put them or their students at risk.

Schools will have been closed for five months by the time every district has submitted their reopening plans. While COVID-19 cases spiked, plateaued and dropped during that time, there has been a recent uptick that led to Gov. Charlie Baker instituting new enforcement and guidelines.