Dighton-Rehoboth Schools to Begin With Remote Learning

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District will begin the 2020-2021 academic year on September 18 with remote learning before transitioning to a hybrid model in October.

The school committee voted Thursday on the proposal, which was one of the options suggested by the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee. The other option was to begin the school year using a hybrid of remote learning and classroom instruction. “Considering the safety and welfare of our students and staff, the safest option was a remote option with a transition to a hybrid,” said Kristin Donahue, who represented the advisory committee.

A comprehensive plan for each district has to be sent to the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education before August 10. “We’re looking at the state metrics, we’re looking at what DESE has placed out there so there’s a variety of information that we’re using, that we’re reading, that we’re researching, to help us make this decision,” said committee member Eliza Couture.

On Friday, Governor Charlie Baker told reporters he believes all schools should open for classroom instruction and have no remote learning. “If you look at the data across most communities in Massachusetts, there’s plenty of opportunity there based on the science and what we know for them to consider reopening in some way, in person,” Baker said. “And I really do worry about kids who are going to be dealing with classmates they don’t know, if they’re full remote, and with teachers that they don’t know and with teachers who don’t know them. And I’m deeply concerned about the issues associated with kids who actually need to learn how to read. We’ve talked a lot about the fact that kids need to read at a certain level by the time they get to third, to fourth grade. The way we teach kids how to read, historically, has been very much an in-person and hands-on activity.”

Dighton-Rehoboth School Superintendent Anthony Azar wondered why Baker didn’t tell the state to open schools. “Instead, all school districts in Massachusetts have been asked by the commissioner of education to pick a reopening model,” Azar said. “The school committee did that last night and now the governor has the audacity to challenge the decision of a multitude of districts that have chosen a new and improved remote model with a phased in hybrid model while he postpones the next phase to further open Massachusetts. But he is saying it's okay for schools to open.  This is a reflection of what happened back in March.  The governor can make an executive decision to open schools just as he closed them back in March.”

School officials acknowledge their plans could change based on the rate of Covid-19 infections in the state. “It’s a very very fluid situation,” said committee chairman Thomas O’ Connor. “It would shift everything to the right on a timeline and farther into the fall. We have to be fluid. We have to be adaptable. We have to be able to adapt to the situation.”

On July 27, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley announced the start of school in Massachusetts will be delayed by 10 days to allow for more educator training.  As a result, the school year will be reduced to 170 days.

The district instituted remote learning last March after the outbreak of coronavirus throughout the state.