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Fall 2021 School Opening and Implementation Plan:  Surviving to Thriving

TO:                    Natick Community and Stakeholders

FROM:             Anna Nolin, Superintendent of Schools

DATE:              June 15, 2021, Updated August 5, 2021, voted by school committee

9/13/21

***note, this document will be revised in response to local and state health expectations throughout the fall.***

School Calendar 2021-22

Introduction

 It is important to note that this plan can be adjusted at any time based on guidance from DESE, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the local Natick Department of Public Health or due to factors related to the health emergency.

This fall, following the most recent Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines, Natick Public Schools will provide all students with learning in-person, five days per week, and according to the School Committee approved calendar.  Traditional school start times resume to pre-pandemic times and are listed here:  School Start Time and Early Release Times. 

As a means for getting ready for the return to school, we have conducted “Silver Linings/Autopsies” sessions (summaries here) with all of our schools and our Remote Learning Staff.  We have met with our regular community partners in health, mental health, hospitals, substance abuse supports, parent support and engagement programming  in addition to focus groups with families and student groups, Speak Up! Natick email and school committee meeting  feedback and a community ThoughtExchange (June 18), seeking support and feedback for these draft plans.  

Our principals engage in a yearly data analysis of student achievement, social emotional needs and trends in behavior and absenteeism.  The result of those conversations is this DRAFT Fall 2021 School Opening Plan that outlines how we believe we will reopen school and address the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students, particularly those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. This plan is partially funded by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) grant, which makes it possible to invest further in equity and our Natick Strategic Plan Goals by allowing us to use these monies for recovery work vs. taking from the Natick regular school budget. At the same time, our fall plan maintains the district’s focus on the health, safety, and wellbeing of all students and staff.  

Addressing Learning Needs As We Transition Back to Full-Live School

In a most unusual school year (2020-21), students faced an interruption to learning unknown to generations before them. School closures and instruction that moved online impacted students both academically and socially-emotionally. Recent principal analysis of student exam scores, benchmark assessments and reading and math tests indicate that our added math supports, weekend and vacation camps indeed addressed deficits evident in math skill acquisition last spring and into the fall.  Literacy score growth and development were uneven across the district.  Priorities include 11th and 12th grade ELA and Math and elementary literacy intervention.  The data also confirms that this year’s interruption to learning exacerbated existing inequities for our students of color and historically underserved communities. Unlike previous years, the number of students who will be returning to school in the fall will present with greater variability in their academic and social-emotional needs than ever before.  Such variability may also exist for our teachers and staff as they contend with returning to work post COVID trauma.  This plan seeks to support staff and students as they contend with the return to school and all of its possible challenges.

Guiding Principles for Fall 2021 School Opening Plan

Anticipating a new year of uninterrupted learning in the Natick Public Schools, we are planning for opening in the fall within the following guiding principles:

●          We will continue to prioritize the formation of relationships in service to learning and trauma recovery emphasizing the wellbeing of our students and staff with an emphasis on building community and nurturing strong, healthy and positive peer and teacher/student relationships.

• We will prioritize attention to our returning remote learning and homeschooled students and teachers who may have been out of the classrooms and out of group learning settings since March 2020.

• We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of students, staff, and the community.

●          We will continue to partner with the Education Association of Natick (EAN) to ensure a safe and educationally appropriate return in the fall.

●          We will address the immediate and long-term instructional needs of our students by following our curriculum recovery plan and providing intervention support for our struggling learners.

• We will continue to work to re-engage all students and staff so they feel a sense of belonging and access to the supports of our system and deliberately work to cultivate belonging, teach collaboration and social skills and ensure recovery from the trauma of the pandemic.  People’s experiences and resilience within the pandemic has varied and needs at this time have varied.

●          We will emphasize the priorities and action steps within the  Natick Strategic Plan in our planning.

What will the open of school look like? (safety, protections, and expectations)

The district continues to emphasize and prioritize the health and safety of all students and staff.  These efforts will continue throughout the 21-22 school year, and we will collaborate with families, staff, and public health professionals to ensure our school environments remain healthy.

In late July, the Centers for Disease Control and MA Department of Public Health (MADPH), and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)  provided updated guidance and requirements for a safe return to school in the fall.  

Background Information and Guiding Principles

It is our belief and experience that a layered prevention strategy is the safest one.  

Here is some information on the need for layered prevention strategies: (backed by CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics)

• From the CDC Partner Packet (attached): "CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place."
• American Academy of Pediatrics Updates Recommendations for Opening Schools in Fall 2021 (aap.org) and COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools (aap.org) In addition to vaccinations, the AAP recommends a layered approach to make school safe for all students, teachers and staff in the guidance. The AAP also amplifies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for building ventilation, testing, quarantining, cleaning and disinfection in the updated guidance.

We agree with the CDC, AAP and the community (Thoughtexchange responses, 2021, feedback to school committee and Board of Health August 2021) - full-time in-person learning this fall must be our priority. Layered prevention strategies will be critical in ensuring that we can do so safely.

We cannot accommodate social distancing of 3 feet at all times while resuming full-time in-person learning,  so this requires us to rely on other layered prevention strategies.  If infection rates begin to climb we can also add surveillance/pooled testing to assist us again.  

Last year, pooled testing let us cut infection days and exposures back by two days per infected person.  

Most mitigating layers available to us last year will remain in place for the open of the 2021-2022 School Year:  

• vaccinating as many people as possible,
• universal indoor masking,
• air filtration
• Regular sanitation
• Disinfection and sanitizing resources
• Use of outdoor spaces and distancing where possible
• Outdoor lunch options
• The options for pooled or other testing (soon to be described and funded by DESE) should infection levels rise higher.

We believe that with these layered prevention strategies in place we will be able to provide continuous, full-time, in-person learning for all students this year as safely as possible. The most effective layers we can implement are vaccination, universal masking, air filtration, and contact tracing.

Equity of Access and Belonging at School

Some suggestions for reopening guidance include differentiating safety  measures depending on whether staff and students are vaccinated or not.  This sets up possible equity and inclusion issues and does not fully address the virus concerns that currently exist given the fact that not enough people are fully vaccinated to curtail the spread.

School is a place that students are compelled to attend.  All children need to have equal access to a safe learning environment where they feel included, protected and safe.  

Meetings with the Natick Health department and Board of Health have continued all summer and result in the following philosophies and reopening guidance which will be reviewed regularly to determine if any of these mitigating measures can be eliminated or eased:

Masking

The Natick Board of Health and Natick Public Schools will enforce the wearing of masks for all staff and students PK-12  indoors and on school buses, but not when students or adults are outdoors. There are no exceptions to this for students.  For staff, masks may be removed if you are alone in an office space or classroom.  Masks must be returned to the face 20 min prior to return of colleagues and students in your work.  space.  Our district’s updated masking policy is listed HERE (School Committee voted policy 8/16/21, Natick Board of Health voted policy 8/9/21).  

The CDC recommends specific masks and masking practices.  They are included here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html.  Please comply with these expectations and provide the correct mask and making behavior for/from your child.

Lunch and Breaks

Lunch will resume its normal pre-pandemic routines and offerings.  Mask breaks and lunch options will continue and will be held out of doors or in large well-ventilated spaces, whenever possible as well. At each school, principals will make options available for outdoor and indoor spaced eating.  Students are welcome to bring mats for towels for ground seating outdoors in dry weather.  Cafeterias, courtyards, fields, hallways and classrooms will be used in combination to assist with distancing while the weather is still warm enough.  Lunch and break protocols will be continuously reviewed with the Natick Board of Health  in light of weekly infection data and trends.  

Hygiene, Distancing and Bathrooms

We will continue our hand hygiene and maintain indoor physical distance whenever possible, but will prioritize the return of all students to school over distancing.   Bathrooms will not have more than 3 children within them at one time. We encourage schools and teachers to continue hand hygiene practices, use of sanitizer (which is installed/accessible with touchless features at every building) and we require  that students and staff stay home when sick.  This is a parent’s primary responsibility within our school system--ensuring that only when healthy that students attend school in the building.  We will reinstitute the daily health checklist, Ruvna, if we see trends in sick children being sent to school.

Ventilation  

Natick Schools will ensure that ventilation measures are as robust as possible:  

air purification systems are present in every classroom space and shared work spaces.  All buildings have HVAC and air handling systems running at covid-enhanced air exchanges and filtration standards (MERV 13).  

Building Maintenance 

The town will ensure buildings are kept clean and maintained throughout the year, cleaning routines now comply with suggested cleaning routines and will still include regular sanitation of all classrooms.    

Theater, Performance and Audiences

 No indoor audiences allowed at this time  - only  outside performance or virtual permitted for audience.  Performance classes indoors are distanced 3ft or more whenever possible and masks will be used.  Students may perform and rehearse indoors with masking and outdoors without.

Outdoor performers could be maskless.  With unvaccinated populations, masking is recommended at all times even out of doors.  Working crews can do their builds and whenever possible observe distancing and sanitation protocols for shared tools.  There are no participation limits.  

Instrumental Music and Chorus Classes

Just as we did last spring, music classes will be held in larger spaces with adequate ventilation and air exchange.  Students will be masked if singing and wind instrument players will wear masks with slits for their mouthpieces.  Instrument covers and “puppy pads” for floor absorption and minimization of droplets will continue to be used as they were last year.  Students will have between 3-6 ft of distance as much if possible within classes. Additional protocols are detailed below.  

Extra Curricular Activities

At this time (August) we believe that all extra curricular activities K-8 and athletics 7-12 will return to their normal schedules and expectations.  No additional guidance has been issued by DESE or MIAA.  This could change in the coming weeks and months and we will update the community.  

Assigned Seating

All students will be assigned seats on buses and in all classrooms.  This is mandatory and assists with contact tracing.  Teachers and staff may move desks keeping as much distance as possible and conduct small group activities, but seating and grouping charts must be kept for contact tracing purposes.  Buses will also have assigned seating.

Shared Materials

Health guidance has shifted related to shared materials and they are allowed now with access to sanitizer and nightly cleaning.

Use of Nurses/Contacting the Nurse

PLEASE NOTE:  Our school nurses are here to serve students and their medical needs and are NOT contact tracers or advisors for the Natick Department of Public Health as they were last year.  Please do not call school looking for advice if you or your family are sick or quarantined, traveling or testing.  If our nurses notify you, it will be about contact tracing within school and outcomes of our testing programs in school.  If your child is a close contact and eligible for any symptom or test and stay testing you will be notified directly.  All other calls should go to your Dr. or department of public health.

Quarantining, Close Contacts, “Test and Stay” Program and Pooled Testing  

Here is an overview of the three types of testing DESE will provide schools this year:

Here is a flow chart of how the testing programs will work together to keep our students and staff safe.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MADPH) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) have issued the following testing, close contacts, contact tracing and testing protocols which Natick Public Schools will enact, with the local Natick Board of Health supporting the protocols.  On August 3, 2021, the local Board of Health indicated that we would await this guidance and enact pooled testing when the rates of infection were higher.  

Close contacts who are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols The following close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols:

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts: Individuals who are asymptomatic and  fully vaccinated are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.

• Classroom close contacts: An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive  individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the  individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart, is exempt from testing and quarantine  response protocols.  

• Bus close contacts: Individuals on buses must be masked according to federal  requirements. As such, individuals who are masked on buses when windows are open are  exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.  

• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: An individual who  has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of  someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if:  

o The exposure occurred within 90 days of the onset of their own illness AND o The exposed individual is recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms.

 At this time, with infection rates at less than 1.47% (Week of August 5, 2021), with no pooled testing indicating positive infections for over 5 weeks during summer school, pooled testing is not necessary at this time.  If infection rates rise,  The decision to resurrect pooled testing will rest on infection rates and local data on the virus. The school system and board of health may require pooled testing for certain reasons and populations e.g. after school activities and athletics,  based on the local board of health assessment of community needs.  To this end, the school system will ask parents to give consent for this procedure at the start of the year so the program could be easily deployed should infection rates require it.

●          Vaccines  The Natick Department of Public Health and Human Services reports weekly on the level of vaccination in our community.  As vaccines become available for our younger students, we will again run vaccine clinics in schools if we are permitted to do so.  We strongly encourage all staff and students to be vaccinated.  This  is the most important step to take to return our society to more normal living.

If you and your child are eligible to be vaccinated, please do so.  It is the most important step to helping our community.  Our three-part testing program, which allows students to avoid unnecessary quarantine and allows us to begin routine, weekly pooled COVID testing as we did last year, will begin as soon as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provides us the resources (tests and person power) to execute the program.  NPS is also awaiting consents from over 2000 families to allow the testing.

Please know that the school committee may decide to mandate both vaccinations and pooled testing for any eligible student who wants to participate in athletics or extra curricular activities of any type.  Get started on the consent form and getting vaccinated now and don't let anything disrupt your child's full schooling experience.

The Unvaccinated are providing opportunities for variants to form

• Guidance for Implementing COVID-19 Prevention Strategies in the Context of Varying Community Transmission Levels and Vaccination Coverage | MMWR (cdc.gov) “The most important public health action to end the pandemic remains increasing vaccination coverage, which saves lives, prevents illness, and reduces the spread of COVID-19.”  AND “Increasing the proportion of eligible persons who are vaccinated reduces the risk for substantial or high community-wide transmission, which in turn reduces the risk for the emergence of new variants that could have the potential to overcome vaccine-induced immunity.”
• The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, but we may not be so lucky with the next variant. We need to stop the spread now and vaccination is how we do it.

The district will work closely with our health professionals, including the Natick Department of Public Health and our School Physician, to review and implement any requirements related to vaccines for students and staff.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), strongly urges eligible students and staff to receive the vaccine in order to ensure a healthy school environment and keep our schools open.  

DESE will issue additional health and safety recommendations over the summer (e.g., masks for elementary school students, vaccination requirements), and we will provide our staff and families with these updates.

School Based Reopening Committees via each school’s formal School Council Will Continue. 

While we do not anticipate the need to continue to revise COVID standards as regularly or often as we did this year, we will depend on these elected councils, comprised of staff and families at each school, as we resume school and continue to monitor health and safety planning. These committees will continue to review the most current COVID-19 information and recommendations from CDC, MADPH, and Natick Public Health and give feedback to principals who, in turn, will collaborate with the superintendent who, in turn, collaborates with the school committee and board of health.

Meetings:  Virtual or Live? (DRAFT)

The district will sponsor live and virtual meeting options with families and the public and will be guided by infection data as to whether we move to full virtual meetings in the future.  Overwhelmingly, parents and staff have agreed that the ability to hold virtual IEP meetings and other types of meetings is positive and gives more people access to schools without lost time from work or paying babysitters.  Many shared that they appreciated the virtual format of longer awards ceremonies and curriculum overviews.  They could tape and watch at leisure or speed through at will.  More caregivers have been able to attend meetings held virtually. Meeting formats will be communicated well in advance of meeting and caregivers will be consulted about format.  At times, due to the location of practitioners in various buildings, virtual meetings may be required and this will be communicated in advance.  

Staff meetings will be published and agreed upon by the group and leadership running the meetings about the format.  NOTE: ASPECTS OF MEETING INFO DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE STILL IN DISCUSSION WITH OUR TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Volunteerism

We would like to get the year going and the staff and children in routines before we open to the public for volunteer purposes.  Because we do not know who is sick or not or vaccinated or not, particularly with our K-6 students being unvaccinated, volunteerism may be unsafe at this time.  We will continue to evaluate this measure as we want you to see our work in action and be active participants in your student’s education.

What about Remote Learning Academy?

DESE has indicated that full time in person learning is what they expect of all students this year. They have made no provisions for remote learning academy.  However, if a student or their family members within your home are at risk for health complications if they/the student returns to live school next year, DESE has made a medical provision to allow these few cases to be accommodated through our collaboration with the TEC Collaborative who also runs the TECCA charter school.  If you feel your family meets these criteria we have a home/hospital medical exemption form that your physician can fill out indicating your child cannot attend school.  At that time, we can enroll your child in this option.  Registration for this must be completed by August 25th as school starts 5 days later in this remote school option (and in live school!)

Learning Interventions and Supports

As in any year, and continuing throughout the upcoming school year, Natick Public Schools will use a systematic approach to instruction that optimizes data-driven decision making, progress monitoring, and evidence-based supports. The specific Summer programs and School Year Interventions we provide  are described below.

New and Additional Summer Learning Programs were created to support and enrich students’ academic success and growth; over 1,000 students participated in the following summer school programs this summer:

• Summer Scholars Program 1-9
• Summer Enrichment Program K-12
• High School Credit Recovery 9-12
• English Learner Summer Program K-12
• Special Education Summer Program PreK-Adult
• Title I Summer School 1-9
• METCO ACES Jumpstart support program

 Here is an overview of these programs.    All academic intervention and support programs were free of charge to our families.  

We also believe that it does not make sense to put all of our resources into summer learning, knowing that not all students can participate and students will need additional time during the school year to receive appropriate support and interventions.  The Summer Learning Programs can complement and enrich learning, and

School Year Interventions will provide a holistic and systemic approach for all student learners.  Some of our plans include (not an exhaustive list):

-           At our five elementary schools, the Math Specialists funded in the operating budget this past budget season will support student learning (21-22 school year). The Literacy and Math fall benchmark data from Renaissance Learning will identify areas of student need. To complement these strategies, teachers will participate in professional learning and coaching focused on providing in-class “just in time” interventions, and they will routinely set aside time for review, practice, and extension in identified areas of student need.  Guidance from the Department of Education directly addressing phonics instruction and phonemic awareness will also be directly taught to our staff for implementation.  Additional math and ELA interventionists have been funded for support of smaller learning groups to take place across our elementary schools.

At the middle schools, an 8-9th grade transition Reading Specialist will join existing math and reading support staff and specialists to create WIN (What I Need Personalized intervention times )block interventions and executive functioning lessons (how students organize and execute work procedures and learning routines).

-           At Natick High School, benchmark assessments will be added--like those used K-8 to track skill needs as students move through 9th grade.   In addition, there will be an expansion of executive functioning support and smaller class sizes in math, ELA, social studies, and French designed to keep the March return to school smaller class sizes for ease of providing more personalized instruction.

Learning coaches will be provided to students who must be quarantined or must learn remotely due to documented health issues.

In our student services department:  15.5 staffers will be added as paraprofessional supports, behavioral and emotional support, literacy supports and occupational therapeutic and speech support hired to directly address needs for students on IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) as evidenced by our analysis of the impact of COVID closure and learning models on our special education caseloads and service delivery capacity. The impact of COVID closure and remote and hybrid learning to student services and caseload is predicted to reduced over time as we work through backlogged needs.

2 additional reading specialists were hired to combat learning loss, address identified needs of dyslexic and reading disabled students and to accelerate giving compensatory services for those who may have missed services during the pandemic closure or hybrid/remote learning phases of the pandemic.

 All of these positions will be temporary and for one year based on the availability of continued grant funding. Further detail on all of these positions is included later in this memo.

Student Support Services

In recognition of the mental health challenges that students and families have faced due to the pandemic, economic uncertainty brought on by the health crisis, and the increased incidences of racial bias and hate nationally, the district is widening our mental health safety net for students and staff. We are developing a well-articulated and comprehensive system of mental health support, and we plan to increase capacity through robust professional learning for staff and families, as well as mental health support through clinical consultation. For students returning from prolonged absence from school, additional staff support will be provided.

Some of our plans include:

-           Assess the proficiency and growth of over 102 English language learners in the Natick Public Schools in order to determine their additional learning and social and emotional needs. In addition, we will implement a translation suite of services to use with families and students and the use of Talking Points program that allows for text-based translation services back and forth between ELL (English language learner) families and our schools/professionals.

 --While not funded through ESSER III monies, the district is undertaking an audit of its students with disabilities and how often students in certain subgroups are identified for special education services.  This is called a study of “significant disproportionality” in special education.  

--As part of our Tiered System of Focused Monitoring Review we are undergoing an audit of our Civil Rights procedures including such areas as access to school and services, use of translation services, disciplinary procedures, trainings under all Civil Rights mandates, examination of the treatment of protected classes.

-           Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) student, staff and family surveys from the winter of 2021 inform our initial program of direct support and intervention.  These surveys for students in grades 6-12 include connectivity surveys from the middle schools, a pilot racism and culture survey from WMS and Panoroma surveys given to all constituents and shared here:  Family Survey, Staff Survey, Student Survey served to help us return to school and design updates to our strategic plan for the 2021-22 school year and beyond.

All elementary students participated in Guidance Counselor - led “Minute Meetings” so that every child participated in a counseling session with their assigned person.  The notes and trends from these meetings helped to design our March return to school and continue to be used to help in class placement and in intervention design for students grades K-4.

An SEL needs assessment conducted in Winter 2021  and an additional student survey will go out to the student body grades 3-12 immediately in the fall to gain a baseline understanding of the social emotional needs of our student body.  The MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey for grades 6-12 in Fall 2021 will inform choices for next year’s programs and practices, including the need for additional SEL programs.  Finally our examination of the work of Dr. Tracy Gladstone’s signs of suicide screenings yielded several grades of data and trends related to self-injurious behavior.  Referrals have been made for hundreds of families to receive help in MS and NHS.   Intervention structures are being developed to address what we find in all of these surveys, including more detailed assessment follow up, behavior and support plans and targeted instruction (see added student services positions to address these needs).  

-           Ensuring equity and anti-racist practices are embedded in our programs will continue to be prioritized for all learners.

Student Support Services continue relative to food stability granted by the  U.S. Department of Agriculture so we are able to extend free school meals for all students over the summer and through the end of the 2021-22 school year.

Funding the District’s 2020-2021 Fall Opening Plan

The district’s Fall 2021 School Opening Plan is partially funded by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) grant.  Natick’s allocation from ESSER III is $1,027,000 which may be spent through September 30, 2024. As priorities shift and unforeseen needs arise, we will be able to exercise flexibility with the use of the ESSER III funds. We also have a surplus in the NPS operating budget due to savings in energy, substitutes and supplies, the use of which will allow us to combine with ESSER III monies.  The use of those monies, decided upon with our Town of Natick finance team and approved by the school committee on 6/14/21 is detailed here.  While the funding and priorities for our planning efforts continue to evolve and be developed, we are working with town partners to use every available grant money resource to fund needs prior to using Natick dollars.

The current use for these combined resources, which were also approved by the school committee on 6/14/21  include:

HR/Business office                                                                                   $26,325

NHS, accelerated HS intervention teachers

•  2 math
• 2 English language arts,
• 1 social studies
• 1 French
• 1 district wide Reading Specialist plus benefits                                                                 Total NHS requests                                                                 $532,245

Renaissance Learning, expansion/schoolzilla for personalized learning plans for students          $260,000

2 Digital Learning Coaches, RLA and Tech Training +Benefits, 2 reading specialists                $321,611

4 technology intern staff, summer only                                                           $13,457

Student Services

• Paraprofessionals:  (8)  + Benefits        
• Behavior Technicians: (3)  + Benefits        
• Speech and Language Pathologists:  (.5) + Benefits        
• Applied Behavioral Analyst:  (1.0)  + Benefits        
• Physical Therapist:  (.5) + Benefits        
• Occupational Therapist:  (.5) + Benefits

Total student services/special education needs                                                $666,856

Counselor KMS         + Benefits                                                                           $81,000

Athletics  Race, Cultural Sensitivity and Civil Rights Trainings and Coach Eval system             $40,000

Elementary intervention support math and ELA         (17)  part time                                $546,980

Memorial grade 3+ Benefits                                                                          $81,000

Nurse for summer pooled testing                                                                   $5000

1 Business office/ Human Resources supports                                                        $26, 325

As needs arise we hope to be able to adapt to these challenges with the use of the these combined funds and the additional grants written by the school department to supplement the general fund.  This past year, the NPS wrote and obtained $2.6 million which helped to give us these surplus funds noted above.  All updates to this plan will be communicated to the school committee.

FY22 Actions in Support of the District’s Strategic Plan

The priorities for the 2021-2022 school year are guided by the district’s strategic plan and our Profile of a Natick Graduate.  

The Profile provides a framework for building culturally competent and empathetic leaders, expecting students to take control of their environment, think, create and act. While there were many success stories among our student body during the pandemic relative to initiative and self direction as well as resilience.  Students will need continued support to renew their collaborative and communication skills and to adapt to the rigor and expectations of a typical school schedule.

We stand ready to respond and will update our strategic plan to address pandemic needs.  Our will include (but is not limited to):

●          Aligning social studies curriculum with Civic Action and ongoing training on racial literacy and upstander skills at  all grade levels.

●          Support personalized learning and allow room for student agency, voice, and choice - such as project-based learning experiences and independent study.

Expanding our social justice and racial identity/bias and racial microaggression training to include coaching staff

• Resurrecting our community stakeholder diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee (was slated to convene prior to pandemic closure) to examine and guide DEI work within the district.

●   Maximize the opening of the new KMS and the new consistent unified class academic and intervention block schedule at both KMS and WMS to develop RTI intervention blocks in support of the academic and social emotional needs of all students, plus time for supportive re-teaching/intervention in a general education setting.

●          Align our academic curriculum and develop and identify lessons and resources to coordinate with the newly identified social emotional learning skills continuum created by our district-wide task force.  

●          Diversify the educator workforce through targeted and measured recruitment and retention.

Continue to combine our DEI and social emotional recovery work to ensure students and families in Natick Schools feel a sense of belonging and engagement in their child’s schooling.

Work to strengthen communication practices with subgroups identified as vulnerable due to pandemic.  Align our translation and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades to our communications tools with a targeted building and community engagement/communication strategy/toolkit.

We are committed to making progress on each of the district priorities as we roll out the Fall 2021 School Opening Plan.

Stakeholder Feedback

 Feedback from stakeholders will be sought in an ongoing manner.  

Already, conversations with Community Partners and Natick Organizations have been ongoing to inform this plan and to collaborate around the future use of ARPA money for the Town of Natick as whole, inclusive of the school sector and in tandem with other town sectors.

School meetings occurred this spring with *Natick 180, *SPARKindness CEO, *Wayside, *Family Intercultural Family Support of Metrowest, *police partners, *local board of health, *town partners/departments, Tri-County Superintendents *ACCEPT collaborative. TEC Collaborative, *Dr. Tracy Gladstone and her depression screening team.  *Conversations will be ongoing until funding is depleted.

The school superintendent met with every school and the remote learning academy staff and developed this Silver Linings and Autopsies reflection summary which speaks to staff contributions to plan development and recovery needs.

The town and school joint leadership teams intend to hold public information and feedback sessions on the ARPA monies and the school district has shared ESSER and surplus funding uses in two meetings in June.  

Additionally, this Thoughtexchange (below), sent June 18th, 2021 to all NPS families was shared with families on a bi monthly basis throughout the summer to gain additional feedback on the return to school needs and priorities.

We requested input on "What priorities and needs would you like us to consider as a school system as we return to school and support students post COVID?". To gather feedback, we used  a tool called ThoughtExchange. All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued.  Here were the results:  Thought Exchange Results about families’ return to school thoughts and priorities.

In Summary

We look forward to a return to school with full days, lunch together and full support exercised for our students and staff.  The full return is not a simple matter of simply reopening buildings and returning children and staff to former class levels and schedules.  Indeed, it is building the support structures and restarting the community and individual mentoring and team relationships that make our district strong.  We will also run support groups for families and caregivers to support what we are doing at school and on trauma recovery and mental health supports in the home.

We thank you for your partnership and participation as we serve our students.