Weston Schools Superintendent Positive For Coronavirus

WESTON, MA — Weston's School Committee meeting last week was focused on plans for students returning to school in the fall and reviewing community survey results, but officials also mentioned that the district superintendent, Midge Connolly, tested positive for COVID-19.

Weston School Committee Chairman John Henry gave a brief update on Connolly's condition during the online meeting, saying she was "experiencing symptoms," but "doing well, and coordinating her teams."

School officials are recommending a hybrid model for the fall. The hybrid model combines remote learning with in-person classes, alternating between the two every other day. All districts in the Commonwealth were required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create three possible models for classes in the fall: one model was completely remote, the second was completely in-person and the third was a hybrid of the two.

To gauge how families felt about the three options, school officials sent out a survey. The survey received 1,600 responses with 48.8 percent of families saying they preferred their child go back into school this fall. Another 38.3 percent of families said they preferred the hybrid model and 12.9 percent preferred the completely remote model.

Officials also issued a survey to teachers which showed different results. A good portion of teachers, 35 percent, preferred staying remote but 31 percent also answered that they would be okay with a hybrid model under teachers union conditions, although they prefer the remote model. Another 27 percent said they preferred the hybrid model and 6.5 percent said they preferred in-person classes.

The presentation of the survey findings is available online.