Medway Public Schools Hosts Webinar on Feasibility Study and Reopening Next Steps

MEDWAY — Superintendent Armand Pires would like to share with community members the steps the district has taken toward building a plan for schools potentially reopening in the fall.

On Thursday, July 23, Medway Public Schools conducted a webinar focused on the findings of the Fall 2020 Full School Return Feasibility Study that was conducted in regards to a full return in the fall, as well as the schools’ next steps and planning timeline.

Those who were unable to attend and would like to watch a recording of the meeting may follow this link: Fall 2020 Return to School Webinar.

A task force for each school building examined feasibility regarding physical distancing in classrooms and cafeterias, student cohorting and daily schedules, as well as student transitions throughout the school day and during arrival and dismissal. Each of these aspects was evaluated for both the full return and hybrid models.

More information about the feasibility study and its findings for each Medway school building can be found here.

Families were asked to respond to surveys to gather feedback regarding parent/guardian willingness to send their students back to school and their willingness to have their students ride the school bus. The district will take survey results into consideration during the planning process and will share the results with the community.

Each principal in the district will also host virtual office hours to answer school-specific questions regarding reopening planning for Burke-Memorial School, McGovern School, Medway Middle School and Medway High School this week.

A preliminary reopening plan summary will be sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by Friday, July 31. The plan will include key findings from the district’s feasibility study on in-person learning, and the district’s preliminary thinking about which of the three reopening models it may use to open the school year this fall. The district will also provide a brief description of each of the three reopening models it was asked to develop: 1) in-person learning with new safety requirements, 2) hybrid learning, and 3) remote learning. Each model must include support for high-needs students. 

Medway Public Schools will collate family and faculty feedback to develop a final School Return Plan for fall 2020 over the coming weeks. This plan will be submitted for a school committee vote on Thursday, August 13, and will be shared with the community the following day. 

Initial Fall-Reopening guidance released by the DESE includes maintaining three to six feet of physical distance between individuals, requires students in grade two and above to wear a mask or face covering and requires adults, including educators and staff, to wear masks. Students in kindergarten and grade one will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask or face covering if schools reopen. 

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