For the Latest News on PSB’s Reopening, Visit brookline.k12.ma.us/reopen
The Brookline School Committee has unanimously voted to approve the RemotePlus Reopening Plan. This plan was initially presented by district leaders at the School Committee Meetings on Monday, August 10, and updated on Thursday, August 12.
The RemotePlus Plan, which the Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) will submit to the Massachusetts Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE) on Friday, August 14, calls for a phased reopening of schools. This model allows PSB the time it needs to modify its facilities and protocols to meet the health and safety standards recommended by local and state departments. PSB will gradually bring students and staff back to school once it is safe and beneficial to do so.
Under the RemotePlus Plan, PSB students in grades 1 through 12 will begin with a fully remote start for the 2020-21 school year. PSB students in the Brookline Early Education Program (BEEP) and Kindergarten, along with the district’s most vulnerable students, will begin the year fully in-person. PSB will identify students as most vulnerable in collaboration with department leaders, school leaders, school staff, and families. While learning remotely, PSB has committed to offering scheduled in-person and outdoor opportunities for students to develop socio-emotional supports and community building.
Faculty and staff will return to school buildings without students on Tuesday, September 1, for protocol training, professional development, and remote learning support. Student learning will officially begin on Wednesday, September 16.
Families whose child(ren) cannot return to school buildings for health and safety reasons will have the option to enroll in the district’s Remote Learning Academy. Students enrolled in the academy will be kept home for remote learning full-time. PSB will provide families next week with more information in the Remote Learning Academy, including an “opt-in” form. PSB school-based staff will also receive more information on the Remote Learning Academy next week and will have the opportunity to indicate their preference to teach in this academy instead of their home school.
PSB will continue to develop specific dates for each phase of transition into school buildings as it receives more information from the Operations Department, Expert Panels, and local and state departments. An outline of these phases, along with Interim Superintendent Jim Marini’s recommendation to the School Committee, can be found on the PSB reopening website. Further details on school safety and operations and teaching and learning approaches, will be provided in the coming weeks as each school building adapts this plan in more detail to accommodate their specific needs.
The district has a dedicated 2020-21 Reopening webpage with the latest approved plan available for review. The page also has recordings from previous School Committee meetings and all materials and presentations PSB has developed for reopening. Families, staff, and community members are encouraged to visit the page to learn more: www.brookline.k12.ma.us/reopen