Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the district continuously recalibrated and fine-tuned our efforts to support all students and families in response to the pandemic. Our evolving plans for reopening schools are archived below, with the most recent at the top. For information about the Fall 2021 Opening Plan, please use this link.
On June 15, 2021, the School Committee heard a preliminary proposal for the Fall 2021 Opening Plan and the Superintendent held an Open House with Families on June 16th to answer questions and invite comments about the plan. Our district's draft Fall 2021 Opening Plan and the presentation are available to the community at these links. The plan is partially funded by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSERIII) federal grant in the amount of $681,671 (revised allocation as of 7-13-21).
On March 16, 2021, the School Committee heard a proposal for Reopening the Needham Public Schools to Full Time Instruction. That proposal is available to the community at this link.
On February 2, 2021 the School Committee heard a proposal for Enhancing Health & Safety and Strengthening the Elementary Instructional Model in the Needham Public Schools. That proposal is available to the community at this link.
On August 11, 2020 the School Committee voted to approve the district's Plan for Reopening Schools with a Hybrid Learning Model for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, as required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. District staff, public health officials, parents, students, and School Committee members guided the planning process and provided feedback. We kept our dedication to the health and safety of our students and staff at the heart of the process. We believed our hybrid model, which involved both in person and remote learning, best met students’ educational needs and could be implemented safely for students and staff.
The Memorandum of Agreement with the Needham Education Association on COVID-19 Teaching and Learning as well as the Memorandum of Agreement on Operations supported the district plans.