SOUTHAMPTON — The William E. Norris School Committee has voted to alter its plans for the return of students to in-person schooling following input from parents and educators.
“It’s a very fluid situation,” said School Committee Chairman Jon Lumbra.
The committee undertook a series of votes on Thursday, and as a result kindergarten students are set to resume in-person schooling four days a week, beginning Monday, with one day of remote learning.
This school year, students at the Norris School have been educated under a hybrid model, with most students in Grades K-6 educated in-school two days a week and remotely three days a week. Pre-K students have been educated in-person four days a week since the beginning of the school year.
Under the previous return plan, which was voted into place by a 3-2 vote at the end of October, both kindergarten and first grade students would have started four days a week of in-person schooling Monday, as part of a rollout of in-person schooling for all grades that would have been completed by Dec. 21.
But on Thursday, the School Committee voted 4-1 that only kindergarten students would return to in-person schooling on Monday. A subsequent 4-1 vote set the in-person return of first graders for Nov. 23.
Like the kindergarten students, the first graders would have four days of in-person learning and one day of remote learning. A return for other grades, however, is not currently scheduled.
The committee is set to meet Nov. 18 to review and consider any new data available at that time.
Committee member Greg Bennett, who voted against the first return plan, said that not being able to ensure 6 feet of social distance between the students in a full return was a reason why the full return was modified.
“We really couldn’t get 6 feet for those other grades,” he said.
On Thursday, the committee voted 5-0 to instruct the school administration to maintain 6 feet between students, and to report back if it could not do so.
Lumbra said many students tested last year have been lagging behind in reading in kindergarten and in first grade this year.
“All the more urgency to get them back,” said Lumbra.
Bennett also said that a rise in COVID-19 cases in the community was concerning to some members of the committee.
As for input, Bennett said that surveys seemed to come back more in favor of in-person return, while letters to the committee were evenly split.
The Southampton Teachers’ Association, which represents teachers and other employees at the William E. Norris School, has been advocating that the school stay in hybrid learning.
Susan Hale, the union treasurer and an executive board member, said the union had been disappointed by the first vote, and was pleased that the committee had voted to go by both the 6-foot rule and to install iWave air purifying systems in more than 40 rooms in the school.
Still, Hale said that, “We still have some concern.”
Specifically, Hale said the kindergarten and first grade teachers feel that it’s not a good idea to bring the kindergarten and first grade students back. And she noted that kindergarten students will have to stay in the same spot for much of the day under this return.
“It’s not what kids want to naturally do,” she said.
Hale also said that the union opposes the idea of having teachers teach students remotely and in the classroom simultaneously via webcams.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.