More Answers to More Questions about Return to In-Person Learning
This week provided many updates on SFUSD’s plans for rolling out an in-person learning option for certain grades and student groups. We were at the press conference, the board meeting(s), and have worked to digest and distill some key facts about the plan as it currently stands (as we know, things can always change!)
When will my student have the option to return to school in person?
PK-2, Elementary Special Day, and County schools (also known as Phase 2a)
Under SFUSD’s recently updated Return Safely Together In Person Learning Plan, all students in Pre-K, and Transitional Kindergarten through 2nd grade as well as all elementary school students in Special Day Classes, and all students in county schools will be given to option to attend some in-person school beginning between April 12 and April 26, 2021.
April 12: The first group slated to open combines schools that under the prior plan would have opened in 3 distinct “waves.” Schools scheduled to open on April 12 includes all Wave 1 schools, all but one Wave 2 schools, and a little over half of the Wave 3 schools.
April 19 & April 26: Twenty-four more schools are scheduled to open on April 19, and then on April 26 the remaining 2 elementary schools will open for in-person instruction. We have not yet seen a list published identifying the schools scheduled to open on each date. Our understanding is that the schedule is based on expectations as to when it is estimated that schools will be prepared to pass the required Department of Public Health inspection.
PK-13 Students Who Are Homeless, in Foster Care, Newcomers, Reside in Public Housing, or are Demonstrating Limited Online Engagement (also known as Phase 2b)
April 26 (rolling): Students in these groups who have not already returned to in-person instruction will begin to have the opportunity to attend school in-person beginning on April 26, 2020. Schools will be opened on a rolling basis.
Grades 3-5
April 26 (rolling): Students in grades 3-5 who choose to receive in-person instruction will start to return on April 26, 2020. The amount (days per week) and location of in-person instruction may depend on the capacity of each school. The possibility is acknowledged in the instructional MOU, that classrooms could move to nearby schools with additional capacity.
Middle and High School
TBD (unlikely this school year): With the exception of students in priority groups (Phase 2B) and Special Day Classes, there are no plans under the current instructional MOU to provide in-person instructional options for students in Middle School or High School. Board of Education commissioners strongly encouraged the district to find a way to open these schools for at least some additional students before the end of the year. Several noted that SFUSD will not be eligible for earmarked state funding tied to reopening unless one full class is opened within grades 6-12. SFUSD staff committed to continuing efforts to get a plan in place for these grades, but maintained that opening these schools before the end of the year would be a “heavy lift.”
Sports and Graduation: There was some optimism expressed at Tuesday’s board of education meeting around the possibility of opening some High School campuses for outdoor sports and other supervised activities and there was also information shared about plans for some form of in-person graduation option for Seniors.
What if I don’t want my child/children to go back?
No student will be required to return to in-person learning this year. If you do not wish to have your student return in-person, respond “no” on any survey you receive and/or let your child’s classroom teacher know.
Even if you respond “yes,” you can always change your mind before or after schools open for in-person learning and have your student return to 100% distance learning.
If I do want my child to have in-person instruction, what do I need to do?
PK-2, Elementary Special Day, and County schools (also known as Phase 2a)
Share preference by TODAY, March 12: Surveys were sent to this group in December. If you filled the survey out and you have not changed your mind as to in-person vs distance learning for your child, you do not need to do anything. If you did change your mind, you may have shared your updated preference with your child’s teacher, who will note that as plans are made. If you have not communicated your changed preference yet, you should contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible and share your updated preference. The stated deadline for updating this information is TODAY, March 12, 2021.
PK-13 Students Who Are Homeless, in Foster Care, Newcomers, Reside in Public Housing, or are Demonstrating Limited Online Engagement (also known as Phase 2b) and Grades 3-5
Share preference by March 16: Surveys were sent to this group by email on March 9, 2021 and should be filled out by the deadline of March 16, 2021. This fast turnaround is because the information is needed for schools to plan and meet reopening deadlines. Schedules at individual schools will be determined based on the number of students who indicate they would like to participate in in-person instruction. Superintendent Matthews estimated that families may start to receive schedule information within two weeks after the survey deadline.
If your student or students are in this group and didn’t get a survey by email, you can contact the SFUSD Student and Family Resource Link M-F from 9-1 and they will be able to access the personalized survey link for your student(s) and help you submit the survey. Multilingual staff are available to assist families.
You should fill out one survey per student.
Your selection will only apply to your choice for instruction for the remainder of this school year.
What will instruction look like when in-person learning starts?
Families will be given notification of their in-person placement and schedule at least 10 days prior to the first in-person day.
The current plan would have (almost) all students stay with the same classroom teachers they have had all year regardless of whether they remain in distance only learning or return physically to school. Distance learning is scheduled to happen before and after the instructional day for in-person students. So school schedules will change for students in distance learning as well as those returning to school in person.
Distance Learning Schedule
Students who choose to remain in distance learning will have live, synchronous instruction (like a live Zoom class with their teacher) for 30 minutes in the morning, before school starts for in-person students, and then will have another block of live, synchronous instruction with their teacher in the afternoon for an hour and a half. On Wednesdays some portion of instruction may be with an educator who is not the classroom teacher (e.g. enrichment). Students in distance learning would also still have asynchronous assignments each day.
In-Person Learning Schedule
Students who choose in-person learning will be assigned to one of 2 schedules, depending on the capacity of their schools site and the number of students who wish to return. Many schools will be able to offer 5 days a week of 5 hours of in-person instruction to all students who request it (Schedule A). Some schools may need to split students into two groups, in which case each group would have two 5-hour days in-person, and 3 days of distance learning (Schedule B). On this schedule all students in the class, including those who choose to remain 100% in distance learning, would participate in live, synchronous, distance learning with their teacher on Wednesdays for 5 hours.
There are three possible start times for in-person instruction: 8:30, 9:00, or 9:30
Will some students need to change teachers or schools?
In general, all students would stay at the same school with the same teacher, except:
In some instances students may by moved to another class at the same site/grade level to accommodate more students in-person
For 2B (grades 3-5), there may be cases where students are assigned to nearby school with space
The MOU allows for whole grade levels to be moved to another school site if needed to accommodate requests for in-person instruction
Will all PK-5 teachers return to in-person instruction?
Most teachers will be back in the classroom, but in some cases, if teachers or their family members are at increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19, teachers may continue to teach remotely, even if some students are in-person. In those cases, a substitute teacher would be assigned to the classroom to supervise and assist students, while the classroom teacher would still have overall responsibility for the class, providing virtual instruction as well as creating lesson plans, grading, holding conferences, etc.
Will there be after-school programs?
According to the plan: “In-person extracurricular activities, and before and after school programs will be offered on a case by case basis as staffing and space resources allow. Each school returning to in-person learning will engage with their community based partners to determine what distance learning support can continue to be offered...Out of School Time (OST) programs may be available for in person services at schools that are open and have an existing OST. Services will include stable cohorts of students that attend the same school for the
instructional day. OST programs at school that are not open for in-person learning will continue to provide services virtually.
What about next fall?
This question came up many times at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. Families and school board members expressed a strong desire for SFUSD to commit to a plan to open all schools in the fall. Superintendent Matthews shared that he has been meeting frequently with Superintendents and health officials from all of the large Bay Area districts, and they are all waiting on guidance from public health departments about what will be allowed before they can announce detailed plans. He shared that he expects more details soon. He has mentioned previously that he anticipates that under any scenario there will still be opportunities for students to learn remotely in the fall if they wish to.
On Thursday, Board President Gabriela López and Superintendent Matthews released a statement saying “We want to let you know that we are committed to returning PK-12 students to in-person learning by the first day of the 2021-22 school year. In the coming months we will be moving forward with planning that adheres to public health directives and includes remote learning options for students who may need to study virtually.”
Resources
Attend a Town Hall Meeting with the Superintendent and a panel of district leaders on March 17, 2021, 6PM-7:30: Flyers, Streaming on SFUnified FaceBook
Recording of Tuesday’s Board of Education Meeting (you can jump to the discussion of reopening)
Updated FAQs from SFUSD