School board delays plan to return to in-person schooling

PORTLAND — Faced with opposition from the teachers’ union and concerns about the rate of COVID-19 infections in town, the Board of Education rejected a recommendation from Superintendent of Schools Charles E. Britton to return to in-school learning next week.

Meeting virtually, the board voted 5-2 against Britton’s recommendation, which was made during the board’s first regular meeting of the new year.

Britton had recommended that students in kindergarten through sixth grade return to school on Monday.

Middle and high school students would have returned part-time to school and remain at home learning part-time virtually for an additional two weeks under a hybrid plan.

They would have returned to school on a fulltime basis on Jan. 18, under Britton’s proposal, which was worked out with member of his re-opening committee.

Britton said the school had developed a cadre of 20 substitute teachers, which he said was key to any in-person re-opening.

He also said the state

Department of Public Health had determined “that in-school learning is preferable.”

But in a public comment section that followed Britton’s recommendation, teacher’s union President Sue McDougall said her membership believed returning next week would create “an undue risk for students and staff.”

The level of infections in town “are still too high,” McDougall said, adding, “It would be a mistake to return in either a full or hybrid model.

“We would prefer to wait until Jan. 18,” before returning to the classroom, she said.

Board member Timothy Lavoy praised Britton’s proposal, calling it “a fine recommendation.”

However, several other members, including Chairwoman Sharon Peters, expressed concern about the level of infections in Portland in particular and Middlesex County in general.

In his presentation, Britton had noted, “Those numbers are still not great.”

Middlesex County currently has an infection rate of 51.5 cases per 100,000, which is the second-highest rate in the state, he said.

As of Dec. 28, Portland’s two-week infection rate was 43.8 per 100,000, above the average for the other communities in the Chatham Health District, he said.

Board members said they were anxious to review the latest report from the CHD regarding infections.

Britton said the report was expected to be released late Wednesday.

Board members said there still is no firm schedule for when teachers, school staff and other frontline workers will begin receiving coronavirus vaccines.

Britton said he was relying on advice from experts in the both the CDC and state Department of Public Health, adding he was not prepared to second-guess them.

“I don’t understand what the rush is,”

Board member Christopher Darby urged his colleagues to delay a full reopening for two weeks “so we really know... the virus (is) under control.”

Darby added that he was troubled by “the optics” of the discussion.

“We’re here in the safety of our homes sending our teachers back to work,” he said.

Lavoy, however, said, “Our constituency is much larger than just our teachers.”

Board members acknowledged that parents face daycare costs and having their children at home and not in the classroom.

The board agreed to meet again at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7.