Superintendent’s Update on Reopening the Bedford Schools ~ August 3, 2020

As I mentioned in my Friday letter I am letting you know that we have placed our Bedford Public Schools Draft Reopening Plan Fall 2020 on our website.

Click this link to read the Draft Reopening Plan for Fall 2020

This draft is nearly 50 pages long and answers many questions about the All Remote, the Hybrid, and the All In-Person models we have developed for the fall. It also includes information about the Learning Management System (LMS) that will be offered by the state of Massachusetts, although we are still awaiting more clarity on this option. Please note that this document is a draft and we will continue to add to it as new information becomes available. I hope that you will have a chance to review the document.

As a reminder, please keep in mind that our collaborative decision-making process has been guided by our core values and our commitment to:

The health and safety of our students, teachers, faculty, and staff
Providing the best teaching and learning opportunities for all students within the current pandemic conditions
Creating and maintaining a warm and welcoming learning environment for all students
Enabling strong connections between our students and their teachers
Supporting the social and emotional well-being of our students, or faculty and staff, and ourselves
Ensuring that we stay true to Equity as a core value of our decision-making
Incorporating input from local, state, federal and international sources as it is updated to increase our understanding of the health and safety risks associated with reopening school.

School Committee Review ~ A Time to Ask Questions

The Bedford School Committee will be reviewing the document and voting on one of the three plans (all in-person, hybrid, or remote) at their meeting on Wednesday night. I encourage you to read through the document, ask questions, and have your voice heard at the meeting on Wednesday night.

Also, please know that in the event that the school committee chooses the all in-person or hybrid model, we will be sending out a survey on Thursday, August 6, 2020, to ask families to indicate their enrollment choice and their transportation needs. This information will help us as we plan for either eventuality for the fall. Unfortunately, this survey will have a short turn around window, we will likely be asking families to let us know by Sunday, August 9, 2020.

As always we appreciate your patience, your participation, and your continued commitment to our schools.