Bourne Starting School Year With Remote Learning

BOURNE – The Bourne school district will start the semester with a remote learning format on September 16.

Students will be phased into buildings for in-person learning depending on grade level and need in the weeks that follow.

High-needs students will be transitioned into buildings within the first two weeks of the semester with other students being brought in after.

Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou said that the goal is to have students in a hybrid learning model after the first eight weeks of the school year, though no hard deadlines have been set.

Zhou said that they will prioritize getting younger students into buildings, as well.

“We want our high-needs students in as soon as possible, as we want our regular-ed students in as soon as possible. We’re just giving some benchmarks so we have full transparency with the community. We know that this is a time where people are really trying to set up childcare. We’re working in that regard to see how we can help with our agencies,” said Zhou.

The way the hybrid model will work is one half of the student population will learn in the school buildings for one week while the other half learns from home.

The next week, the two populations will switch, with the home-learners coming into the buildings and the others learning from home.

Mondays are planned to be remote to allow teachers time for professional development, as well as allow time for the school buildings to be sanitized.

Masks will be required to be worn by preschool through 12, with some mask breaks throughout the day.

Students in grades preschool through 8 will mostly remain in their homerooms throughout the day, to minimize possible transmission of the virus.

Zhou said that the intent is for an eventual transition into a full, in-person learning model, if the funding and space for such is available, but that a remote-only option will always be available for parents who want it for their children.

“It is our intent, should that funding become available, to go into a full in-person model. The different determining factors will obviously be the latest medical advice, our preparedness for all safety guidance and, of course, our input from families,” said Zhou.

Zhou said that parents will continue to be an integral part of the planning process.