Medford Back-To-School Plans Start Taking Shape

MEDFORD, MA — Working groups tasked with developing plans to reopen the Medford Public Schools started meeting last week. Teams are preparing plans for in-person learning with new safety requirements, remote learning and a hybrid model, as required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Here's who is serving on each workgroup:

• Steering Committee: Superintendent Dr. Edouard-Vincent, Mayor Lungo-Koehn, District Leadership/Staff (Dr. Peter Cushing, Suzanne Galusi, Tom Milaschewski, Paul D’Alleva, Kirk Johnson, Stacey Shulman, Lisa Evangelista, Dr. Bernadette Riciardelli, Joan Bowen), Medford Teachers’ Association (Charlene Douglas, Shawn Morris) and Community/Parent Representatives (Sean Beagan, Divya Anand, Tonya Sullivan)
• Operations Workgroup: District Administration/Staff (Toni Wray, Dr. Peter Cushing, John McLaughlin, Molly Laden, Kirk Johnson, Michael Downs, Chad Fallon, Lisa Kingsley, Bobby Maloney), Teacher Representatives (Bob Drobneck, Jennifer Rigano, Noah Lewkowitz, Anthony Petrelis, Kate Crane Rockwell, Angela Bellini, Carin Chen) and Parent Representatives (Shellery Hamlin Richardson, Lydia Cabralis, Ben Lavallee, Kristina Collazo)
• Hybrid/In-Person Instruction Workgroup: District Administration/Staff (Paul Teixiera, Stacey Schulman, Kathy Kay, Joan Bowen, Dr. Bernadette Riciardelli, Jody Liu), Teacher Representatives (Elisabetta Daneu, Meredith Mason-Crowley, Charlotte Heim, Stephanie Ogonosky, Jamie Taylor, Kelly Dimarino), Parent Representatives (Tiffany Bare, Lhakapa Nyinjee, Carina Myteveli, Georgiana Chevry), School Committee Representative (Paulette Van der Kloot)
• Remote Instruction Workgroup: District Administration/Staff (Shannon Demos, Paul D’Alleva, Suzanne Galusi, Stacey Schulman), Teacher Representatives (Lou Spagnola, Anthony Geehan, Joanne McKay, Carolina Vila, Marlo D’Anna, Sara Dion), Parent Representatives (Amanda O’Leary, Sarah Florenz, Troy Ellerbee), School Committee Representative (Melanie McLaughlin)
• Communication/Stakeholder Engagement Workgroup: District Administration/Staff (Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent, Tom Milaschewski, Diane Guarino, Nick Tucci), Teacher Representatives (Julie Ann Anderson, Michael DiClemente, Colleen Mahany, Lindsay Repucci, Katie Fiumara, Melissa McIntyre), Parent Representatives (Mohammad Bhuiyan, Chenelle Yard, Jessica Sparks, Irina Shumway), School Committee Representative (Jenny Graham)

The groups have taken the following actions so far:

• Ordered cleaning supplies including hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, sanitizing misting machines that utilize a green cleaning solution, hand sanitizer dispensers and pump stations.
• Ordered plastic face shields, disposable gowns, gloves, goggles, N95 masks, child and adult size disposable masks. Supplies will be distributed to each school and staff according to DESE recommendations as per staff roles. DESE guidelines state that students and staff will be responsible for their own cloth masks. Supplies will be available for those who cannot afford a mask or those who become ill during school.
• Ordered new technology to meet the needs of the school community during online learning. The district has ordered 1,826 additional Chromebooks for student use, and 50 hotspots to provide remote internet access. There will be one device per student in the district. Additional updates on this technology, how it will be deployed, and training for students and families will be provided in a later update.
• Summer professional development for teachers. This professional development includes investments with a heavy focus on VIRTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING, both fully remote and hybrid. There will be options for social emotional learning that include trauma sensitivity, as well as additional professional development for faculty on more specific SEL practices such as Responsive Classroom, Zones of Regulation, and Mindfulness.
• The district has purchased online subscriptions to be used in our classrooms and invested in a literacy screening tool called Lexia Rapid for the next school year.

The groups will provide updates every Friday. On July 24, there will be updates on timelines and ways the community will be included in the development of reopening plans.