Good afternoon,
In case you missed the school board meeting on Saturday, here is information in regards to the school reopening plan.
During a special meeting on Saturday, Jan. 23, the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education voted to modify the district’s reopening plan, but keep the metrics for when school buildings will reopen.
We do not yet have a date for when schools will reopen.
The district still plans to reopen with a blended learning model once we meet the COVID metrics set by the board. Last week, Dearborn achieved the first required measure – improving to at least a D grade on the Wayne County Health Department’s risk matrix.
The second requirement has not yet been met – achieving a 5 percent or lower positivity rate on the Wayne County Health Department weekly report. Those numbers improved dramatically again last week falling to 8.6 percent. The most recent reports are posted on the district’s COVID page.
At the special meeting, the board agreed that once both metrics are met, the district can begin the reopening plan the following Monday. However, trustees felt it was important to meet both measures for at least two weeks before bringing back large groups of students.
For elementary school, the new plan is similar to what the board approved in October. The new plan better spells out how middle and high school students will return and includes more specific schedules for blended learning at all grade levels.
The plan still calls for students to return in a blended model where they attend face-to-face class two days a week.
Week 1
- The Monday after both requirements are met, the district will begin restarting face-to-face learning labs for small groups of students, including Act 18 special education students.
- All staff will return to work in the buildings.
Week 2
- Learning labs continue.
Week 3
- Select grades start face-to-face, blended learning, including kindergarten to second grade, sixth grade and ninth grade.
Week 4
- Grades preschool, third to fifth, seventh and 10th start face-to-face, blended learning.
Week 5
- Remaining students start face-to-face, blended learning including 8th, 11th and 12th grades.
Blended learning
All students will return to school in blended learning, meaning they will be at school on either Monday and Thursday (group A) or Tuesday and Friday (group B), with all students learning online from home on Wednesdays. On the days a student’s group is not in the building, the child will still be working online. For elementary students, home-learning days will be a blend of live and asynchronous instruction. Middle and high school students on days at home will participate in live class via Schoology/Zoom for all of their courses.
Busing and meals will be provided at all grade levels as school buildings reopen.
See the daily blended learning schedules below. Note, these daily schedules will not start until students return to the buildings. Until then, we are continuing with our remote learning schedules.
Elementary blended learning schedule. Online students start at 8:35 a.m. In-school sessions run from 9:40 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Note, Salina, Lowrey and McCollough will follow middle school start and end times. (Schedule start date to-be-determined)
Middle school blended learning schedule. Live school online or in-building from 8:50 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily. STEM will follow high school start and end times. (Schedule start date-to-be-determined)
High school blended learning. Live school online or in-building from 8 a.m. to 12:40 daily. (Schedule start date to-be-determined)