CAPE ELIZABETH — With a little over two weeks to go before the start of the 2020-2021 school year, local officials are still trying to decide whether to open under a remote-learning model or a hybrid.

The school board has the final say, but the board tabled the issue twice – in July and on Aug. 12, citing lingering questions, particularly around safety in school buildings.

The district is planning for an Aug. 31 start date; the board meets to discuss the issue again in a special meeting on Aug. 18. This week, Chairpersom Heather Altenburg said the board needs more information before making its final decision.

“Although the Board had every intention to vote (Aug. 11) and give staff and parents a direction for moving forward, there were too many questions left unanswered and the board felt it needed further information before voting,” Altenburg told The Forecaster. “Many of the concerns were around the ventilation system in the hallways and nurses’ offices, especially in the high school. Administrators will use the extra time to get information from specialists and look for possible solutions.”

Superintendent Donna Wolfrom has not recommended in-person schooling, as the state department of education is still issuing guidelines that would be tough to implement, including symptom screening, social distancing in classrooms and on buses, requiring face coverings for all students and staff at all times, precautions for staff such as face shields, and home isolation for students. Some of these requirements, Wolfrom said, would demand much more space and staffing than the district is able to provide.

“Really, we think, at this point, having 100% of our students in school, we would not be able to follow the guidelines, and it would not be a safe situation for our students,” she said.

To date, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate a total of 87 cases of COVID-19 reported in Cape Elizabeth. On Sunday, March 15, before the pandemic lockdown, Wolfrom, in a letter to the district, said one student at the middle school had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Under the hybrid model, grades K-12 would be split into two groups, with one going to school Mondays and Wednesday and the rest on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each group would attend school for a half day on alternate Fridays. Days spent at home would be remote-learning days. Staff and faculty, Wolfrom said, would be expected to be in the building as usual all week, conducting both in-person and remote-learning instruction.

Teachers have voiced concerns, too. On July 28, during public comments, Winthrop Phillips, president of the Cape Elizabeth Education Association, said he did not believe it would be possible to properly enforce rules such as wearing masks in all environments, especially on the buses. He also noted that substitute teachers might not be as well-prepared for teaching within the state’s pandemic-related guidelines, and said overall, “the teachers are nervous. Very nervous.”

Elizabeth Yarrington, an English teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School, said she has two school-age children that, due to the hybrid model, would be without child care for up to three days a week. She said she also personally knew of four other teachers in her department alone who were in the same situation.

“The hybrid model presents really significant logistical challenges for teachers like me,” she said.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m. For more information, and instructions on how to attend virtually, click here.

Sean Murphy 780-9094

Email: seanmurphy@theforecaster.net

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