The Manchester Board of School Committee is holding a special meeting at Manchester City Hall on Monday at 6 p.m. Here’s a look at the two public topics they will be addressing.
Return to School Metrics
The Manchester School District administration has proposed a set of metrics that will guide all decisions in regard to gradual or sudden transitions from remote learning to in-person learning, or vice-versa.
First presented at last week’s Board of School Committee Policy Committee Meeting, the metrics-based decision grid has three steps to determining full or partial in-person learning at Manchester schools.
In the first step, COVID-19 cases in Manchester are assessed at an average over the past 14 days per 100,000 people. If that figure is five to nine cases (considered “moderate”) or under five cases (considered “low”), two additional steps are then taken to determine whether schools can implement recommended COVID-19 health and safety measures or if the schools and Manchester Health Department can monitor and respond to COVID-19.
If any of the various guidelines in step two or three cannot be achieved, in-person learning is prohibited, as in if the case amount remains in the “high” tier (above 10 cases) over that 14-day period.
The metric guidelines were taken by the Harvard Global Health Institute’s recommendations, an approach used by other New Hampshire school districts such as SAU 29 in Cheshire County.
Committeeman James O’Connell questioned why the proposed metrics had a three-tiered system rather than a four-tiered system like Keene. Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Gillis said a fourth tier that is a “lower” threat than the current lowest threat level could be added to the proposal.
O’Connell also voiced concerns over the subjective nature of some guidelines in the second and third steps such as “improving outdoor air ventilation,” requesting specific benchmark numbers on what is acceptable and what isn’t.
If approved, the metrics would be the framework used by Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt for any decisions to partially or fully return to in-person learning before the Board of School Committee revisits the issue in November.
Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher Availability
At last Monday’s Board of School Committee Meeting, Goldhardt said that 26 of the approximately 125 first-grade and kindergarten teachers are eligible to opt-out of in-person learning under either the Family Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
While Grades 2 to 12 at Manchester public schools are beginning the school year with remote learning, first grade, preschool and kindergarten will be starting the year with a hybrid in-person and remote system.
As of Wednesday, the list of 26 teachers eligible for opt-out included….
- One at Bakersville Elementary
- Three at Beech Street School
- Two at Gossler Park Elementary School,
- One at Hallsville Elementary School,
- Three at Highland Elementary School,
- Three at McDonough Elementary School,
- One at Northwest Elementary School,
- Four at the Parker Varney School
- Three at Webster Elementary School
- Three at Wilson Elementary School
There were also two educators on the list split between two schools: (one between Gossler Park and Hallsville and another split between Parker Varney and Hallsville).
