Return to School Update
March 12, 2021
¿Necesita traducción? | Precisa de tradução?
ESPAÑOL:
¿Necesita traducción? Desde una computadora o portátil, haga clic en "Translate" (Traducir) en el cuadro negro. Desde un teléfono celular o tableta, haga clic en el icono de Accesibilidad en la parte inferior de la pantalla y después haga clic en "Translate" (Traducir).
PORTUGUÊS
Precisa de tradução? No computador/laptop clique em "Translate" (Traduzir) na caixa preta. No celular/tablete clique no ícone Accessibilidade na parte inferior da tela e clique em 'Translate' (Traduzir).
Need translation? On a computer/laptop, click "Translate" in the black box. On a mobile phone/tablet click the Accessibility Icon at the bottom of your phone screen and then click 'translate'.
A BRIEF LOOK BACK
It’s hard to believe that our lives changed forever just about one year ago today. Most of us can remember where we were and what we were doing when the world began to shutter last March. The global pandemic has impacted each of us in a variety of ways. Whether you experienced the loss of a loved one, strains on your health, job loss, or so many other impacts of the pandemic, I truly hope that hope has not been lost and that some positivity can be drawn from all of it. For many, the return to school is exactly the positivity that we have been looking forward to for so long.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced last week that elementary and middle school students are expected to return to school in-person, every day, every week, starting in April. The DESE requirement is provided below:
Grades K-5 will be returning 5 days a week, every week on April 5, 2021
Grades 6-8 will be returning 5 days a week, every week on April 28, 2021
The return date for Grades 9-12 for every week has not yet been determined.
As we begin this next phase of planning, we will be asking all families to complete an updated Return-to-School Commitment Form so that we know whether your student will be coming to school each day or staying home to learn remotely for the rest of this school year.
The Return-to-School Commitment Form needs to be completed for each individual student.
The form is being sent to families this evening and must be completed by Wednesday, March 17, 2021. If you do not respond or if you cannot be reached for a response, your student's return status will be set to “In-School” Learning. If you do not respond, transportation for eligible riders will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Your responses on this form will replace any previous responses that you have provided and will be recorded as your preference for the remainder of the school year as there will not be any additional Family Decision Checkpoints.
NEXT STEPS
While the District collects learning model commitment responses from families, District leaders, representative members of the Framingham School Committee, and representative members of the Framingham Teachers Association (FTA) will be meeting to work through the logistics of this new DESE regulation. The most critical of these logistics is the necessary shift from the standard 6-feet of physical distance to something lesser in order to accommodate the many students who will want to attend school in-person. More information will be provided as those details are worked out.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please continue to make sure that your school has update-to-date contact information, including cell phone numbers, for all Primary and Emergency contacts associated with your child(ren). At least 4 contacts should be listed. It is extremely important that we are able to reach you for important communications, contact tracing if needed, and to ensure MyMedBot is associated with the correct email address(es).
CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH CONDITIONS
Below are important informational links that highlight the current COVID-related public health conditions in Framingham:
Click to see the FPS COVID Dashboard
Click to review the City of Framingham Weekly Data Analysis (PDF)
Click to access the City of Framingham COVID Resource Page
RETURN-TO-SCHOOL DASHBOARD
(Text from the table above)
Return-to-School Target
City Positivity: 4% (or less)
New Cases (Daily): 10 (or less)
Current Status (Latest Report: March 8, 2021)
City Positivity: 3.03%
New Cases (Daily): 25.00
↘︎ Lower than the previous week
4-Week Historical Trend
March 1, 2021
City Positivity: 3.10% (↘︎ Lower than the previous week)
New Cases (Daily): 25.10 (↗ Slightly Higher than the previous week)
February 22, 2021
City Positivity: 3.16%
New Cases (Daily): 24.91
↘︎ Lower than the previous week
February 18, 2021
City Positivity: 3.79%
New Cases (Daily): 26.17
↘︎ Lower than the previous week
February 8, 2021
City Positivity: 4.58%
New Cases (Daily): 27.74
↘︎ Lower than the previous week
POOLED TESTING AND COVID CASE REPORTING
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (3/8/21 - 3/10/21): 167 pools with 2 positive pooled results
Please review the FPS COVID Data Dashboard for the most up-to-date cumulative data on positive cases.
RISK MITIGATION EFFORTS
We believe that a combination of facility safety upgrades, personal protective equipment (PPE), physical/social distancing, regular (weekly) COVID testing, and the introduction of a vaccine will be exactly what it is needed to confidently return to school.
Masks/Face Coverings
Masks/Face Coverings are among the most important single measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Masks must cover both the nose and mouth. Masks must be worn by everyone at all times with rare exceptions. Families must ensure their child arrives at school wearing a face covering and ideally has an extra on hand. Time will be built throughout the day for mask breaks where students and staff don’t have to wear masks. The District Face Coverings Policy provides more detailed information.
COVID-19 Individual PCR Testing for ALL FPS Staff
Testing has proven to be a key factor to getting students back to school in communities where percentages of positivity and daily new COVID cases are higher than recommended community targets. ALL FPS staff are encouraged to participate in weekly COVID-19 individual PCR testing that is provided at each of our schools.
COVID-19 Pooled Testing for Students
Free pooled testing is available weekly for all students in attendance for their scheduled week of in-school learning. Testing will take place on site at your child’s school during the school day. A completed, signed consent (English, Spanish, Portuguese) form is required for participation. Although participation is voluntary, it is strongly encouraged.
Pooled testing involves mixing several respiratory test samples together in a “batch” or “pool” and then testing the pooled sample with a PCR test for detection of COVID-19. This approach increases the number of individuals that can be tested using the same amount of resources as a single PCR test. The test is performed at least once per week with anterior nasal swab. Test results are delivered within approximately 24-48 hours. If a pooled test result is negative, then all individuals within that pool are presumed negative and may continue to remain in school. If a pooled test result is positive, then all individuals in the pool must quarantine until they are retested individually with a PCR test.
For additional information, please review the Framingham Public Schools COVID-19 Testing for Students Overview English, Spanish, Portuguese.
MyMedBot (Attestation App)
MyMedBot is your ticket to school! MyMedBot is used to screen all FPS staff and students daily for potential COVID symptoms. Students, families, and staff must answer a series of COVID-19 related questions and based on the answers, the app will show a red screen, meaning you are not permitted to enter the school or a green screen, meaning you may enter the school. MyMedBot invitation codes are unique for each user and have been rolled out by cohort to families with students who’ve returned to in-person instruction.
Please remember to complete MyMedBot everyday that your child is scheduled to attend school in-person.
COVID Call Center
Framingham Public Schools has launched a trilingual COVID Call Center to help families with the MyMedBot App questions. Families can reach the Call Center by email COVID@framingham.k12.ma.us or by calling (508) 782-6633. Call Center staff are available between 5:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Staff who have MyMedBot App questions should continue to reach out to the Help Desk.
COVID Vaccines
All educators are now eligible to schedule appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. State officials have designated the following weekend days: Saturday, March 27, Saturday, April 3, Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11 for administering COVID-19 vaccines to teachers, school staff, and child care workers at the state's seven mass vaccination sites. Staff can use the state’s new pre-registration system to schedule appointments: mass.gov:COVID Vaccine Pre-registration.
Some people experience vaccine side effects such as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, pain at the injection site, or temperature less than 100.0°. These symptoms are normal signs that your body is building protection against the virus. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. If you experience these common minor symptoms in the first 72 hours after your vaccine and feel well enough to come to work, you do not need to list these as symptoms on MyMEDBOT.
Please remember it is possible to get COVID-19 even after you are vaccinated. If you have any other symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, cough, or loss of sense of smell or taste, stay home from work, avoid close contact with others, get PCR tested, and contact your healthcare provider. You can find frequently asked questions about COVID vaccine side effects here.
It takes several weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. Please continue to wear a mask, maintain 6ft physical distance, avoid large gatherings, and stay home when sick.
Because vaccinated individuals are guided by different COVID-19 quarantine, isolation, and travel rules, we are asking staff to provide documentation of your COVID vaccines to HR through TalentEd once you are fully vaccinated. This will assist the COVID Team when contact tracing may be needed and potentially eliminate the need for you to quarantine. Please note that while the District is strongly encouraging that its employees receive a vaccination, we are not mandating it.
KEY TERMS
Phase I: Students and staff who attended school, in-person, starting in October.
Phase II: Students and staff who attended school, in-person, starting in November.
Phase III: Students and staff who were scheduled to return to school in December, but who did not return due to the shift to remote in consideration of the community public health conditions.
Phase IV: All remaining FPS students and staff not included in Phases I, II, and III.
In Person (Schedule): A schedule where students are receiving instruction in person in a classroom setting from the school.
Remote (Schedule): A schedule where students are receiving instruction from a location outside the school setting via the computer (virtually).
Hybrid (Schedule): A schedule where students are receiving instruction on a rotating schedule that includes both in person and remote experiences.
Concurrent Classroom Model: A model in which students attend class in person and others attend virtually. The teacher in a concurrent classroom attempts to meet the needs of the students in class and online simultaneously.
Synchronous Instruction (live):
Synchronous Instruction
Occurs in real-time, with participants doing something together or “in sync” with others;
May include Zoom/Google Meets meetings or be streamed; live video is not required for synchronous learning;
May include scheduled learning experiences, assessments, or collaboration to be completed at the same time as others; and/or
May provide additional structure, accountability, and opportunities to engage with others in the learning community.
Asynchronous Instruction (not live):
Asynchronous Instruction
Occurs on one’s own time or pace, with no requirements to be in lock-step with others;
Allows students to work independently, or potentially with others, at a flexible pace that meets their individual needs;
May include experiences, assessments, or collaboration to be completed within a window of time, but not necessarily in real-time with others; and/or
Allows teachers to work synchronously with one or more students while others are engaged in asynchronous learning tasks.
Asynchronous instruction does NOT mean that a student is “offline”, as in not engaging virtually with content.
PREVIOUS / RECENT UPDATES
Like us on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on Instagram!
Framingham Public Schools
Website: www.framingham.k12.ma.us
Location: 31 Flagg Drive, Framingham, MA 01702, USA
Phone: 508-626-9117
Facebook: facebook.com/framinghamps
Twitter: @framinghamps