What the Fall may look like -- the hybrid model

[Anonymous]

I’ve been reading quite a bit in the education press and in taking to some of our administrators about what the Fall might look like. From what I’ve gathered so far, it appears there are probably three options for the Fall: back to normal, distance learning, or a hybrid of the two. At this point most of the planning seems to be directed at a hybrid model.

I’m not saying this is the best or worst, just trying to create an outline of what might be the case this Fall, and welcome any other comments you might have heard from your school or administration. If you want to talk about Sweden, Malaria Pills, the Hoax, Trump, etc—please find the political forum and go at it over there so other parents can use this thread to help plan for the Fall.

The Hybrid Model:

Schools may start in early- or mid-August and go through Thanksgiving. There will be no Fall break, and any professional/training days for teachers may be pushed until after the holiday dismissal. There will be no in-person parent-teacher conferences, back to school events, or other social/academic gatherings to start the term.

Schools will reopen on a staggered schedule. This will either mean daily 1/2 days for all students (some AM, some PM) or more likely some kids at home one day and at school the next. Classes will be split into two sections. The kids at home would tune into class digitally while the other section attends the in-school lessons. Some families will have the option of all online school if for some reason they need to stay extra safe (elderly in the home, immunocompromised family member). One administrator suggested the sections would be geographically based to minimize bus/carpool arrangements, but added that it might be too complicated to coordinate.

No large assemblies in school. No chapel services for religious schools. Students will eat in their classrooms. Libraries opened on a rotating schedule or individual visits. Different grades will be on different class movement schedules so they don’t mix in the hallways. No after school care. After school athletics and physical education limited to social distance appropriate activities. No locker rooms. Children will be allowed to use the restrooms individually during class to avoid grouping up between classes.

Any other insight?

[Anonymous]

No. No hybrid model. No thanks.

Things would have to be substantially worse in the hospitals or with the death rates than currently to do that in September.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been reading quite a bit in the education press and in taking to some of our administrators about what the Fall might look like. From what I’ve gathered so far, it appears there are probably three options for the Fall: back to normal, distance learning, or a hybrid of the two. At this point most of the planning seems to be directed at a hybrid model.

I’m not saying this is the best or worst, just trying to create an outline of what might be the case this Fall, and welcome any other comments you might have heard from your school or administration. If you want to talk about Sweden, Malaria Pills, the Hoax, Trump, etc—please find the political forum and go at it over there so other parents can use this thread to help plan for the Fall.

The Hybrid Model:

Schools may start in early- or mid-August and go through Thanksgiving. There will be no Fall break, and any professional/training days for teachers may be pushed until after the holiday dismissal. There will be no in-person parent-teacher conferences, back to school events, or other social/academic gatherings to start the term.

Schools will reopen on a staggered schedule. This will either mean daily 1/2 days for all students (some AM, some PM) or more likely some kids at home one day and at school the next. Classes will be split into two sections. The kids at home would tune into class digitally while the other section attends the in-school lessons. Some families will have the option of all online school if for some reason they need to stay extra safe (elderly in the home, immunocompromised family member). One administrator suggested the sections would be geographically based to minimize bus/carpool arrangements, but added that it might be too complicated to coordinate.

No large assemblies in school. No chapel services for religious schools. Students will eat in their classrooms. Libraries opened on a rotating schedule or individual visits. Different grades will be on different class movement schedules so they don’t mix in the hallways. No after school care. After school athletics and physical education limited to social distance appropriate activities. No locker rooms. Children will be allowed to use the restrooms individually during class to avoid grouping up between classes.

Any other insight?

The bucket you mostly described is Opening and minimizing contact, which is what every state requires to reopen.
If $hit hits the fan and there is a national emergency, then you can layer in distance learning.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you are right on. Well- researched and you covered all of the issues and items my school is considering.

- Private school personnel

[Anonymous]

This reflects what I’ve been hearing. I’m a teacher at a private school (east coast not DC)

[Anonymous]

It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

Yes, completely different for schools with enrollment in the 200-1000 student range.

[Anonymous]

OP’s information tracks what I’ve been hearing from our dc private as well.

Hybrid isn’t ideal of course (to the person who was like, no way). In my mind, though, I’m very glad they’re trying to create a hybrid model. So far the only two things America has managed to come up with during the pandemic include 1) near-total shutdown or 2) free-for-all screw-it-I’m-partying openings. Lots of other countries are finding middle ground and faring much better. If the privates can find a workable middle ground, then our kids will at least have some semblance of a real school experience in the fall. If it’s all or nothing, like pp wants, then they’re much more likely to just be stuck at home all fall.

I’m very hopeful that these hybrid plans can help us balance the various issues, and I’ve been encouraged to see how thoughtfully the possible options are being developed and considered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. No hybrid model. No thanks.

Things would have to be substantially worse in the hospitals or with the death rates than currently to do that in September.

No, not really. if we are where we are now, in September, then best case is going to be something like the hybrid model.

[Anonymous]

My question about a hybrid model is about staffing. Do schools hire twice as many teachers or are they expecting teachers to expose themselves to the same
Number of children pre-pandemic? These ideas about teachers floating in to a static student group still scare me as a parent. Whose to say one teacher doesn’t pick up something from one student group and pass it to another?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really will vary based on the size and physical structure of the schools. Micro schools probably won't have to change much at all, for example.

Some schools are small enough and have enough space such that a few of those ideas are not needed, like splitting classes, staggering days, and having lunch in the classroom.

In a small grade where everyone takes the same classes, I could actually see combining some classes and using auditoriums for them to free up other classrooms for smaller sections of upper school classes. I can think of five areas in our school large enough to hold an appropriately distanced whole grade with the teachers rotating into the space. All of those spaces have direct exits to the outdoors too, so they wouldn't have to mingle in the hallways at all and could easily get outdoor free time. This frees up all the classroom for the grades where the students all have different classes and schedules (high school).

Also, keeping kids out of the halls and moving teachers around as much as possible would help a lot. Where changing classrooms is necessary (labs and specials come to mind), the hallway schedule idea is a good one, and you'd only have to alter the schedules by a few minutes.

Hopefully, weather will allow outdoor classrooms to be used more too.

OP here. Yes, the idea of all-purpose rooms being repurposed to mega-classrooms was also something discussed. At our kids school the facilities are simply too small to have the normal number of kids in a social-distanced environment, but an older gym could become a mega-classroom that could fit an entire grade or two (boy that would be noisy and distracting though). I suspect a number of schools are looking at some bigger rooms that could be repurposed as classrooms relatively easily.

Agree the gym is not ideal for a bigger class, but do you remember the "open classroom" model in the 70s? Universally hated, but many kids lived and learned through it, so in a pinch, it could have a temporary come back, but not too many people or you are creating a circulating air problem.

Again highlighting why everyone needs a different plan. One of our middle grades is smaller than 30 kids split into two sections, so not mega, and putting them in a sound-designed auditorium (which also has those desk arm things) would be fine, like a college classroom.

[Anonymous]

When considering the hybrid model are schools analyzing efficacy of the learning for the kids. I am concerned that it might be much harder on students of all ages and teachers to switch between school in an entirely new way some days and home DL other days and could be pretty stressful or at least cause many distractions. Intuitively the idea is going back to school in the fall with a hybrid models seems like it would be really hard and much more productive to keep Distance Learning until they can go back for real. I just hope that “group think” round the idea of it being great to go back and that is what other are doing (those countries that went back first) over what is really going to work academically because going back to school in some distance hybrid new way doesn’t seem like it would help the kids socially which would be part of why you do hybrid presumably, or social emotionally, and could be a net loss and more loss for kids. Admittedly I haven’t thought about it a lot and would love to learn why and how it could be a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My question about a hybrid model is about staffing. Do schools hire twice as many teachers or are they expecting teachers to expose themselves to the same
Number of children pre-pandemic? These ideas about teachers floating in to a static student group still scare me as a parent. Whose to say one teacher doesn’t pick up something from one student group and pass it to another?

If that is how you feel, you will likely need/want to keep your child home, which will likely be an option. Honestly, I think your fears are pretty unfounded given the regulations that will have to be followed and how rare it is for children to get seriously ill from the virus, even if they get it. I think our biggest enemy is fear, to be honest. Google to see what they are doing in Denmark. It is going very well, and they are not even wearing masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question about a hybrid model is about staffing. Do schools hire twice as many teachers or are they expecting teachers to expose themselves to the same
Number of children pre-pandemic? These ideas about teachers floating in to a static student group still scare me as a parent. Whose to say one teacher doesn’t pick up something from one student group and pass it to another?

If that is how you feel, you will likely need/want to keep your child home, which will likely be an option. Honestly, I think your fears are pretty unfounded given the regulations that will have to be followed and how rare it is for children to get seriously ill from the virus, even if they get it. I think our biggest enemy is fear, to be honest. Google to see what they are doing in Denmark. It is going very well, and they are not even wearing masks.

The teachers are the ones far more at risk here, and they will be asked to expose themselves to everyone and be there 5 days a week.