Medford Looks Toward Potential Fall School Scenarios

MEDFORD, MA – The Medford School Committee is looking ahead at the 2020-21 school year with a virtual round table meeting series. Meetings will be conducted over Zoom regarding potential scenarios for the fall semester.

The School Committee asks members of the community, including parents, teachers and administrators, to brainstorm possible scenarios.

"We want to include the community in our discussions so that we are aware of their visions for the Medford Public Schools." Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, chair of the School Committee, said in a statement. "As a leadership team and as a School Committee, we know that we need to start planning now in order to be as ready as we can be for September. Additionally, it is budget time and it is critical that we maximize our resources to the best of our ability."

The district expects guidance on potential plans for fall from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in late June or over the summer.

"This is an unprecedented step for Medford Public Schools. I look forward to what we can do, working together," Superintendent Marice Edouard-Vincent said in a statement. "As I always say, we are One Medford, One District. Together is the only way we can do what is best for all of our students."

The Three Committee of the Whole Round table Meeting Schedule is as follows:

Fall Scenarios, Session I, Round table – Wednesday, May 27, 2020 – 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM – via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting is to gather collaborative input from administrators, teachers, and families regarding how to think about, anticipate, and plan for potential Fall 2020 scenarios. While no guidance is yet available on what the next school year will look like, Medford Public Schools is taking a proactive approach to discuss possible scenarios with its critical stakeholders. The School Committee is hosting these sessions to collaborate and share ideas that will help inform upcoming budget decisions. Discussions will include: What is working well, or not, today, Technology (Student, Teacher, Infrastructure/Access), School day model (Before/After), and Athletics/Extracurricular Activities/PTO Activities.

Fall Scenarios Session II, Round table – Wednesday, June 3, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM – via Zoom – The purpose of the meeting is to continue to gather collaborative input from administrators, teachers, and families regarding how to think about, anticipate, and plan for potential Fall 2020 scenarios. The discussions will center around Instructional Delivery, Social-Emotional Learning, Curriculum/ Online Content, and Professional Development.

Fall Scenarios Session III, Round table – Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM – via Zoom – The purpose of the meeting is to continue to gather collaborative input from administrators, teachers, and families regarding how to think about, anticipate, and plan for potential Fall 2020 scenarios. The discussions will center around topics that CAN’T be delivered online, Students who can’t access online learning – who, why, workarounds, considerations and Delivery of School-Based Services.

The meetings will begin with some basic information and level setting and then time will be spent in breakout rooms. At the end of each meeting, groups will share back a summary of their ideas and conversation. Additionally, questions and ideas can be sent to info@medford.k12.ma.us.