Gov. John Carney approved a hybrid start to the school year on Tuesday, allowing schools to use a combination of in-person and online learning when classes resume in the fall. Schools must also follow extensive health and safety precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The decision comes after weeks of the governor monitoring data and alluding to the likelihood of a hybrid school reopening.
The state will provide free COVID-19 testing for teachers and staff before the school year begins, and monthly throughout the school year using an at-home testing option. Schools across the state will also host community testing sites for students wishing to get tested before the school year starts.
For the past three weeks, parents and teachers have wondered which of the three scenarios schools would reopen under: fully in-person, hybrid instruction or fully online. The data has pointed to a hybrid reopening since mid-June.
What hybrid learning looks like will probably vary from district to district, but would include some combination of face-to-face and online instruction.
Schools are encouraged to offer some sort of in-person teaching, especially for students who would have difficulty learning in a fully remote setting, such as students with special needs, low-income students, homeless students, or English learners.
Hybrid plans should also include an option for families who wish to keep their children at home. Students will not be forced to attend school in person if they have a health condition or do not feel safe.
However, while the state has approved hybrid learning, districts can still decide to start the year remotely should they find they lack the resources and space to safely pull off a hybrid model.
"We don't want anyone to go back if it's not safe," Carney said.
Last month, the Delaware State Education Association was joined by Democratic leadership in calling for a fully virtual reopening for the first six weeks of school. Union leaders worried that if the state announced a hybrid reopening, districts would feel pressured to follow suit, even if it wasn’t in the best interest of student and staff safety.
K-12 REOPENING: State teachers union calls for virtual start to school year, citing safety concerns
Weeks away from the start of the school year, few schools have figured out the best way to proceed. Most have been awaiting official word from the state, while continuing to survey parents and staff and plan for all three scenarios.
Colonial School District released plans for the start of the year in July -- high school students will start the year virtually, while younger students have the option to do in-person or online learning. So far, about 60% of parents opted to keep their children home.
Other districts have begun pushing back school start dates, with more likely to follow suit this week. Last night, both Red Clay and Indian River school boards voted to push start dates to September, in order to give teachers more time to prepare for any online learning.
Milford and Christina school boards will consider the same later this week. And the Charter School of Wilmington board will vote on whether to accept administrators’ recommendation for a virtual start.
But even with the start of the year being pushed back, parents are still left wondering, what is my child’s school going to look like in the fall? Will they be in the classroom or not?
For most school districts, the answer continues to be: We’re working on it.
BACK TO SCHOOL FAQ: Answers to your questions about returning to Delaware schools this fall
Throughout the summer, the Department of Education’s working groups compiled a 34-page document outlining what schools needed to do in order to safely reopen.
At the same time, district-level groups continue to meet, figuring out how to execute those requirements, and if it’s even possible.
“One question begets 10 questions which begets 20 questions,” said Jeffrey Menzer, superintendent of Colonial School District.
The state won't issue building capacity requirements because every school building is different, Carney said. This is in contrast to restaurants and businesses, which are only permitted to open at 60% capacity.
"It depends on the geometry and the space in the school," he said. "Every district is a little different, every school is a little different. There is no one size fits all."
The state has purchased 20,000 tests for teachers and staff through Vault Health. Each month, school staff will have the saliva-based test kit mailed to their home. Then, a Vault staff member will walk them through sample collection through a Zoom call. Covered by the state, the tests come at no cost to staff being tested.
Last week, school districts and charters were paired with liaisons from the Division of Public Health to help sort through these questions. These liaisons are meant to offer information and support, not enforcement. Anyone concerned with a school not following guidance should contact either the school or district, or the Division of Public Health.
Public health officials have also released guidance on how schools should handle positive cases in schools.
Parents should expect to hear more detailed plans from their children's schools in the coming weeks.
Natalia Alamdari covers education for The News Journal. You can reach her at (302) 324-2312 or nalamdari@delawareonline.com.
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