Mayor Curtatone addressed the media on the plan for the upcoming school year at a press conference in front of Somerville High School.

By Alberto Gilman

Mayor Joseph Curtatone announced the decision concerning the reopening of schools in Somerville on Friday, July 24 to local and city news outlets. He began by discussing the impact of the pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic was not something anyone was prepared for,” Curtatone said. “It has not been easy.”

A father of four, Curtatone and his wife, like many other parents in the city of Somerville, hope to be able to send their kids back to school in the fall. Curtatone informed the media the that schools will be on track to reopen. However, the particulars of reopening will be different from previous years.

“We’re going to move diligently. We’re working with experts, searching for the best solutions,” Curtatone said. “Our guiding value here is to protect the health of our students, their families, our teachers, the school staff and our broader community while ensuring our students continue to learn and that their education and personal development remains on track.”

Superintendent of Schools Mary Skipper delivered remarks and updates following Mayor Curtatone’s opening statement.

Curtatone then introduced Somerville Superintendent of Schools Mary Skipper, who stated that conventional in person learning will not be the way that Somerville will go about it. Instead, the manner of reopening will consist of two different types of models: hybrid and remote.

The purpose for these models is to prevent any exposure to the virus. “It’s really on us to make sure both of those systems can support all our students and staff,” Skipper said.

The superintendent discussed variations of the two models. One might allow students to come in on certain days, while the other model could favor fewer attendance days along with working remotely, allowing for deeper cleaning of buildings. The details of both of those models is still being discussed, according to Skipper.

Skipper said there will be challenges ahead going forward and that it has been difficult to deal with as the beginning of the school year draws closer.

“I’ve been in education 32 years. I’ve opened a school from scratch and I’ve redesigned a failing school,” Skipper said. “I can say without doubt that this process of moving a system to be pandemic proof has by far been the most challenging process.”

Students from second to twelfth grade will be required to wear masks. However, students as young as Pre-K may be required to wear masks as well. Exceptions would be students with medical or sensory reasons for not wearing them. Other concerns for students involve transportation, sanitation, providing materials for learning and keeping everyone informed in the days ahead.

The future of fall athletics for Somerville is still uncertain due to training being pushed back from August to September. A model for after school activities is not currently in place, however success in hybrid camps over the summer have helped in considering how to move forward.

Four virtual community town halls will be hosted over the next two weeks, on Wednesday, July 29 and Wednesday, August 6. A multilingual meeting will start first at 5:00 – 6:25 p.m., followed by a meeting in English. More information about the town halls is available by going online at https://www.somervillema.gov/schooltownhalls.

Following the conference, Skipper discussed her work with District Management Group, part of Harvard Business, that allows access to certain resources and data that helps with decision making. Other partners include state and local health services to help with decision making going forward.

Preparing to bring students and teachers back safely brings new concerns and protocols that need to be in place. Constant communication with other districts also helps in keeping families, teachers, and the community informed, according to Skipper. “Superintendents are trying their best to keep each other informed,” Skipper said.

With all this mind, Skipper is hopeful for a safe return. “The more we can all work together with our children and with our staff to adhere to what we put in place for the safety measures, we’ll be able to stay in session,” Skipper said. “I think we all very much miss each other. We miss the experience of being with each other because that’s what makes education special.”