MPS weighs return
If the board approves, Milwaukee Public Schools will begin bringing students back to class on April 12.
Milwaukee Public Schools students could return to school buildings four days per week on staggered start dates in April, if the plan is approved by school board members at a special meeting Tuesday. Families could also opt for students to remain fully virtual.
Under the proposal published Thursday, the youngest students would return first, followed by middle and high school students, with the following start dates:
• Prekindergarten through second grade: April 12
• Grades 4-8: April 19
• Grades 9-12: April 26 Students would attend classes in person every day except Wednesdays, when students would learn remotely. In other districts, schools have used Wednesdays to air out and clean buildings.
Families will be surveyed, beginning March 26, about whether they want to send their students back to school inperson or continue virtual learning for the rest of the year.
Administrators previously proposed a hybrid model with only half the student body in classrooms Monday and Tuesday and the other half in classrooms Thursday and Friday. That model doesn’t appear in the new plan.
School Board President Larry Miller said he is supportive of the proposal, though he will be keeping an eye on COVID rates.
“There’s a large group of parents that want to keep their kids home and a lot that want to send their kids back, and I want to accommodate both of those groups,” Miller said. “The plan) falls within CDC guidelines and if there’s a rise in the community in terms of infection, I’ll be considerate, watching the schools very closely.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends full reopening when communities have fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 people per week, and when less than 8% of people tested for COVID test positive. As of Thursday morning, the most recent numbers for the city of Milwaukee showed 45.2 new cases per 100,000 people and a 3.2% positivity rate.
The CDC recommends a hybrid model, with students learning virtually some days, when case numbers are between 50 and 100, and the percentage of
positive tests is 8% to 10%.
The MPS proposal doesn’t note whether schools would revert to a hybrid or virtual model if community spread of the virus worsens.
Amy Mizialko, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, the union for MPS staff, said the proposal lacks detail on key logistics, such as class size, plans for special education students, and COVID testing.
“MPS families and workers are deserving of a plan that is concrete, detailed, clear, that lays out what their child’s experience would be — and the administration has not provided that,” she said.
Though thousands of Milwaukee educators have been vaccinated in recent weeks, concerns remain about the impact on students and their families. Health officials have said vaccinations will be available to everyone ages 16 and older by May 1, while vaccines for younger children haven’t yet been authorized.
“MPS families and workers are deserving of a plan that is concrete, detailed, clear, that lays out what their child’s experience would be — and the administration has not provided that.” Amy Mizialko president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association
Class sizes could be smaller
Miller said administrators are planning to cap class sizes and divide students into more classrooms. He said the goal is to have no more than 15 students per teacher and to keep everyone six feet apart as recommended by the CDC.
This shift in class size can be made possible if many students opt to stay home, or if MPS can find enough substitute teachers and other personnel to staff classrooms. Miller said there are more than 100 teachers who work in MPS central administrative offices who can be deployed to assist in classrooms.
Mizialko said it’s unclear how staff will find enough classrooms in the more crowded school buildings to accommodate smaller class sizes.
“The plan clearly hinges on large numbers of families and parents electing to remain in remote learning, but we don’t have any guarantees to support that that’s what will happen,” she said.
Administrators are asking all staff to return to buildings March 29 to plan and prepare classrooms. Teachers were able to start receiving vaccines March 1, and could start receiving second doses next week. Those first in line would be considered fully protected two weeks later, April 5.
Staff members with underlying health conditions can submit requests to continue working remotely. Teachers in that situation would provide instruction virtually both to students at home and those who are physically present, with a substitute teacher or paraprofessional supporting those students in class.
Ventilation, masks, testing planned
As coronavirus primarily spreads via droplets in the air, ventilation is key to preventing infection. According to the reopening proposal, local consulting company Rivion audited ventilation in MPS buildings and administrators have improved airflow, made sure windows can be opened and plan to have portable air filtration units in each classroom.
Miller said MPS plans to provide up to three masks per day per student, as well as masks for teachers. He wasn’t sure what kind of masks they would be. He said there are also plans to have plexiglass between students.
The reopening proposal also mentions surveillance testing but gives no details of how widespread this testing would be. The CDC recommends schools consider weekly routine testing of teachers and a random sample of at least 10% of students.
Any classrooms linked to a positive COVID case will transition to virtual learning for a two-week period, the MPS proposal states.
Buses and sports set to resume
Administrators proposed keeping half of the seats on buses empty, with assigned seating and masks required. The proposal did not note whether there would be more buses running or who would enforce precautions on the buses — something Mizialko raised concerns about.
“The bus driver has to drive the bus and will not be available to ensure distancing and masking,” she said. “What happens if a child gets on a bus and is sick?”
Sports practices could resume as early as April 19, with competitions coming later, according to MPS spokesman Earl Arms. He said he wasn’t aware of any sports planning to meet indoors.
How to view or participate in board meeting
The special school board meeting will be held virtually at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, broadcast on the MPS YouTube channel.
Anyone wishing to make comments must register in advance online or by calling 414-475-8200. To share written comments with board members, email governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.