07.23.20
Dear CSD Families,
The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor CSD Re-Opening Advisory Committee has met to discuss the big picture planning on how to safely open our schools. Ad Hoc Committees; composed of staff, community members, and Advisory Committee members are breaking down and focusing on the many elements that our planning entails, such as; facilities, health, nutrition, transportation, and instruction, etc.
As outlined in the Board meeting last night we are planning for three scenarios:
Red; our building will be closed to students, we will be distance learning only
Yellow; our buildings may be open including a combination of in-person and distance learning options
Green; our building will be open to all students, we will be offering in-person learning
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Maine Department of Education (DOE) will determine the level in which we are able to operate. We recognize that families have very individualized thinking and needs around when and how we open. We are preparing our school and instruction to encompass both in-person learning and distance learning. We understand that no matter the conditions or safety measures we put into place for opening our schools, they will not meet the needs of all families and students. We will continue to plan for multiple scenarios including offering in-person and distance learning, simultaneously to meet as many needs as possible.
The CSD School Board approved an amendment to the 2020-2021 school calendar. Recognizing that staff will require time to review new safety protocols as well as new curriculum structures, inservice workshop days were moved from October and November to before Labor Day. The first student day is now scheduled for Tuesday September 8th.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the CSD Parent/Guardian survey. There were 182 responses to the survey that will aid us in planning for the multiple scenarios. There were many comments about parents not feeling comfortable sending their child to school if they are required to wear masks. What we know is that in every scenario that the CDC and MDOE https://www.maine.gov/doe/framework have laid out for us is that staff and students will be wearing masks while at school, other than when they are eating, this is not a local decision. Another theme from comments in the survey is child care issues if school doesn’t open. We understand that this is an issue for many of our families and will prioritize in-person learning for our youngest students, who are not able to stay home alone, given the choice to do so.
Here is a quick snapshot of the overall results of the survey:
We know that our community is eager for “the answers” to what school will look like in the CSD and we wish we could provide clear answers for you all. We want to assure the community that while there is no perfect answer; there are multiple options and we will continue to investigate and plan for the best option for our students, families and community. The health and safety of your child(ren), staff and all our community members remain paramount as we look ahead to the start of school. We will continue to provide you with ongoing information and updates. Please feel free to reach out to us with questions that you might not have found the answer to in the CDC or MDOE guidance and updates.
We thank you for your continued support,
Tricia Campbell, Principal BRHS
& Shawna Kurr; Principal BRES