MARION — In discussions between Old Rochester Regional School District administrators and the School Committee, flexibility and compassion emerged as two key elements in enforcing the district’s new reopening plan, which the committee formally approved. 

In explaining the plan to school committee members on Aug. 7, Superintendent Michael Nelson said that the distinct has about 2,600 families, and received about 1,800 responses to summer surveys on reopening.  

The plan developed based on those surveys does not outline an in-person option for the district due to space and transportation difficulties, but does go into more detail on fully-remote or hybrid schedule that would allow students to be in-school two days a week and remote the other three days. 

For parents nervous about remote learning based on what they saw this spring, Nelson assured them that “remote learning will be more robust going forward, as it becomes part of our educational landscape for the foreseeable future.” 

Students learning outside of the classroom will check in with teachers several times a day, with the exact number of checkins determined by students’ grade levels. 

Sippican School Principal Marla Sirois said that the school “can do those check ins differently with older students vs. younger students.” 

Under the current plan, students would be divided into cohorts by last name, with an effort to keep students from the same family together. Still, School Committee member April Rios asked how the district would handle grandparents who may have to care for children across cohorts, or working parents in general. 

Nelson responded that “we know that each family is going to have a different situation” when it comes to cohorts, but the district “will use common sense and logic and be as collaborative as possible in addressing every student's needs.” 

Rios also said that she found it difficult to keep two children on task during the day, and worried that a push for more accountability by the schools might penalize families in similar situations.  

Nelson acknowledged childcare “coverage has been the hardest thing for each family,” and that some children may be in daycare during the day and complete assignments in the evening.

“I have young children myself, so we are having the same exact conversations in my own household,” Nelson said, adding that “there is no perfect plan, have the ability to be compassionate, hear and listen.” 

Rios also asked if the district was trying to work with area daycares for families that may need that on days when their students are not in school. 

Nelson said it is an ongoing conversation, given that the Tri-Town does not have as many daycare providers in the area as other schools. He is talking with the YMCA, perhaps one of the biggest childcare providers, but does not yet have concrete information to release.

Rios also wondered how the district would handle parents that travel for work. 

Nelson said the district will strongly recommend that parents follow state guidelines, but work with them on a case-by-case basis. 

Marion Teachers Association President Nicole Boussey said that all of the teachers she works with, “want to return to school, to see students,” but they “need proper safety measures to do that safely and with purpose.” 

She said there are still things to be discussed and bargained, but her group “ will continue to have open and honest conversations with the administration and stakeholders.”  

Before committee members approved the plan, School Committee chair Michelle Smith asked them to consider it flexible, because “the governor could change something on us tomorrow.”