AUBURN — Edward Little High School students who are getting part-time in-person instruction will return to school full time April 5.
The School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve a reentry plan that will end the hybrid model of students attending school two days a week and learning remotely three days.
The committee also approved a plan to return “high-support” middle school students to classrooms five days a week.
These are students who are struggling with remote participation or falling behind academically. Fully remote students will stay put and some hybrid students will be identified as needing to return.
Parents will have a choice of whether to send their children back to school full time.
Though most committee members wanted to see Auburn Middle School students return five days a week, it was deemed not feasible because of staff shortages.
Some positions are not filled and educators have been quarantined under COVID-19 guidelines.
A plan to return high-support pupils in prekindergarten through grade six full time passed with an amendment that is conditional upon official guidelines.
If the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Maine Department of Education change the rule for distancing students 6 feet apart during meals to 3 feet, elementary pupils in Auburn could return five days a week, as space allows.
Committee member Brian Carrier, the City Council representative to the School Committee, was concerned about stigmatizing pupils who are struggling.
“We are setting those children apart from the rest of the school,” he said. “We don’t want to pigeonhole kids. This is going to set them up for whatever kids do nowadays (to bully others).”
Carrier’s amendment to reopen elementary schools to all pupils failed to pass.
A second amendment offered by member Dan Poisson — to open schools no sooner than April 5 if the CDC and DOE relax the distancing guideline — passed unanimously.
The original motion as amended passed 6-1, with member Pam Hart voting against.
She said she could not support reopening these schools full time because the district had no plan for doing so.
Carrier said he would like to see a full return.
“We should take back as many as we can. If that means using the cafeteria and gym (for classes), we should do that,” he said.
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