GREENFIELD — The board of trustees for Greenfield Union School District has approved a gradual reopening plan that calls for small groups of students to be invited back to their campuses beginning with the academic year’s second quarter.
“We know that even when we invite small groups back, some of our parents are going to opt to keep their kids at home, and that is a personal family decision that is theirs to have,” said Zandra Galvan, district superintendent, in her report to the board during its Oct. 8 meeting. “We may not have 100% of those invited to come back, come back.”
The school district, like others in Monterey County, spent its first quarter in a distance-learning model. Students invited back will be those determined to most benefit from in-person instruction for their educational advancement.
“At this time, we have re-engaged our Reopening Task Force so that we can thoughtfully plan for our Preschool, TK and SDC classes to return in November and December for in-person instruction,” Galvan said in a community update issued Oct. 9. “We will ensure that all health, safety, instruction, nutrition, family engagement and social-emotional wellness supports are in place so that Quarter 2 is successful.”
A move toward hybrid or in-person instruction rather than full distance learning was supported by community surveys conducted by the district, which Galvan said showed a 57% preference by district families for distance learning, but 42% wanting a hybrid or traditional model of instruction.
The district continues to have a 95 to 99% average daily attendance after the first 42 days of instruction under distance learning as of Oct. 9.
“It’s very important to understand the dynamics of our Greenfield community and the many different needs of our families,” Galvan said. “We have a lot of working families in Greenfield that it’s very difficult to have a child at home because the families have to go to work.”
Beyond the numeric breakdown of support for different models, district data collection also included reasoning behind those choices and family experiences.
“When we surveyed our families we discovered that an eighth grader is getting their kindergartener online or a fifth grader is helping support the children because the family needs to work,” Galvan said. “That is very important for us to consider as we move forward because we do have a community that has varied needs and they are wide throughout our district and throughout the schools that we serve.”
The approved decision is for a phased transition, with the first quarter having been distance learning and the second quarter having small groups return to campus, while a majority of students continue distance learning. Quarters three and four are yet to be determined, with district documents noting January as a time when plans for quarter three will be approved.
“Those we will need to re-evaluate based on the scientific data as well as the survey data,” Galvan said of quarters three and four. “We aren’t in a position to predict what quarter three or quarter four will look like.”
Galvan addressed the idea of applying for a waiver, since Monterey County has met state criteria for schools to apply for reopening waivers.
“We’re not in a position to apply for a Monterey County Health Department waiver,” Galvan said. “The waiver is only applicable when we want to bring a majority of our students back.”
She said the goal of a waiver is to bring back an entire school or half a school, which is not the goal for Greenfield elementary schools.
“At this time I don’t recommend we submit a waiver to bring masses back yet,” Galvan said. “I think the recommendation on the board here today is for small groups so we can slowly start transitioning back to what we want to see as effective instruction.”
