AMHERST — Amherst and Pelham’s youngest students at the four elementary schools are supposed to return for in-class learning when the school year begins in mid-September.
But even though surveys of parents and guardians of so-called priority groups — from pre-K through first grade in Amherst and pre-K through second grade in Pelham – show that 70% are ready to have their children go back to school, it’s uncertain whether this will happen as the union representing teachers, paraeducators and clerical staff in the Amherst public schools is encouraging fully remote instruction.
In a statement released Aug. 10, the Amherst Pelham Education Association is calling on the three school committees and administrators to abandon what is known as a phased-in model that will begin on Sept. 16, and which would see more students returning for in-class instruction around Indigenous Peoples Day and all students having some time in the classroom after Veterans Day.
“Until it is safe to return, we want to focus district resources on developing robust remote learning plans with qualified exceptions in situations where there is high need, rather than focus on phasing in in-person-learning,” the statement reads.
The union points to a survey it took of members in which 279 of 309 respondents say they would not feel safe in a classroom, even with personal protective equipment protocols and social distancing, citing U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
“We miss our students. We want to resume in-person learning as soon as is safely possible. However, in-person learning is neither physically safe nor educationally sound at this time; anything other than fully remote learning is a medium risk activity per the CDC,” the union said in a statement.
In a guest column being published in the Amherst Bulletin this week, Allison McDonald, chairwoman of the Amherst and Amherst-Pelham Regional committees, and Sarah Hall, chairwoman of the Pelham School Committee, write about the long meetings and extended discussions that led to the approval of mostly remote instruction with a phased-in model that uses health metrics, including the COVID-19 caseload in Hampshire and Franklin counties, to guide when students return.
“We remain confident that our deliberate and thoughtful process resulted in a cautious plan that considers all elements of risk, from risk of exposure to COVID-19 to risk of harm to students if they are unable to return to school in person,” they write.
Under the plan and depending on there not being a surge in infections, children in grades 2 and 3 in Amherst would come back in October, and grades 4 through 6 in Amherst and Pelham would return in November. Middle and high school students from the two towns, as well as Leverett and Shutesbury, would return for one day a week in November.
“Although the risk of COVID-19 exposure may be lessened if schools remain closed, the risk of other, known harms to children increases dramatically,” they note. “Anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts are on the rise among otherwise healthy young people, and reports of neglect and abuse to child-protection agencies have plummeted since March because there are far fewer adults available to make such reports.”
During an online Town Hall with parents Monday, Superintendent Michael Morris said the most conservative health metrics are being used for moving between phases, ones that are more stringent than the CDC or the World Health Organization, or even neighboring states like New York.
“With all our safety measures, we are trying to take the most conservative approach possible,” Morris said.
The schools have also prepared for reopening through various improvements to air handling systems, making the classrooms larger at Wildwood and Fort River schools and shortening the school day to allow more time for cleaning.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
