Dear Watertown Families,
Over the last month, our district has been carefully planning for a safe and successful reopening in the fall. Our School Re-Entry Advisory Council (SRAC) includes representatives from the Board of Education, Administration, Teachers Union, Medical Field, and the Watertown Police Department. The SRAC is focused on developing a comprehensive plan for reopening Watertown schools in the fall that prioritizes the health and well-being of students and staff, provides solutions to the logistical challenges associated with school operations, and focuses on instructional delivery. The SRAC members are divided into three working groups: Health and Well-Being, Operations and Logistics, and Instructional Delivery. Each working group has additional representatives from across our community who have been identified as subject matter experts whose experience would benefit the working group as they plan.
We know that our eventual re-entry will bring with it more unprecedented changes in the way we operate and our readiness will depend on a variety of elements including state and federal regulations and guidelines. In addition to those elements, your input is critical to the development of our plan and we have developed several ways to engage our families.
First, I’d like to invite you to complete a brief survey regarding reopening in the fall. The purpose of the survey is to provide a space for our families to express their concerns about reopening so that we can work to address those issues as we are planning. In order to have a clear picture of the needs of our families, I am requesting that you submit a different response for every child in your family.
In addition to the survey, I’d like to invite you to attend two Special Board Meetings on June 29 and July 28 at 7:00 pm. During these meetings, I will provide detailed information regarding our planning, review the survey results, discuss the proposed plans, and answer questions/comments from the public. This presentation will also detail progress and scenarios toward reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. This presentation, and subsequent reopening plans, will regularly be posted on the district website, and remain fluid during the summer as much will continue to change during these times. I will share information on how to access the meetings as we get closer to the date and will make sure that the information covered is available to all who are unable to attend.
You have an essential voice in this reopening work. These are community schools for our children and all feedback is important as we develop plans. I thank you in advance for sharing your input and for your support of our students, staff and our entire community. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or send a message to questions@watertownps.org.