LEE — It was only supposed to last two weeks. On March 13, 2020, Lee Superintendent of Schools Michael Richard was sitting in an office in Pittsfield, attending a meeting with the Berkshire County’s other superintendents trying to make sense of how the quickly-spreading Coronavirus was going to impact student learning.
The superintendents speculated on what might happen and reached a consensus. “We decided as a group we were going to shut down for two weeks just to see and get a better sense as to what was happening,” Richard recalled.
It was Friday the 13th to boot, and they left the meeting feeling good about the plans and two-week break. Then it all broke loose.
On March 15, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered all schools closed temporarily, with a planned reopening after April 6. That date would be pushed back to May, until eventually the Governor would announce that schools would not reopen for in-person instruction for the rest of the year. “Next thing you know we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do to open the school year for the 2021 year,” said Richard.
For Lee Public Schools, the plan to reopen entirely to in-person learning has been months in the making. On April 26, that plan was fully realized when the Lee Middle and High School transitioned fully to in-person instruction. “It’s been a true team effort,” Richard remarked. “A lot of congratulations go out to the faculty, staff, and administration that has worked with me to make this happen.” Lee Elementary School had opened earlier that month, on April 5, for full-time, in-person learning.
Since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Lee public schools have operated on a hybrid model, with students alternating between remote and in-person instruction every other day. The only exception was when cases of COVID-19 ticked up in January, triggering remote-only learning for two weeks, according to Richard. In the Lee Middle and High School, the student population was split in half, with each group alternating days of in-person learning.
During spring of 2020, the district’s Internet bandwidth was increased to allow for greater streaming capabilities, while wireless hotspots were deployed for those families with slow or nonexistent network connections. Chromebooks were issued to every middle and high school student to ensure ease and equality of access. When all else failed, paper copies of lessons and worksheets were mailed to students.
For Richard, every step in the district’s plan was meticulously thought out so that a return to full-time, in-person learning could be achieved. He was quick to point out, however, that this involved careful work and planning with the faculty and teachers. “This was no small feat,” Richard remarked. “Anything that was accomplished — it wasn’t my work alone.”
Richard emphasized that safety has been at the forefront of the school’s reopening plan. “A lot of difficult decisions have been made … it’s been about making sure the students and families we work for have been given every opportunity to succeed in a challenging time.”
To Richard, the return to full-time, in-person instruction represents a sense of service to the Lee community. “As a community, as a commonwealth, as a country we have to be leaders and I know, as an educator, the greatest form of education available to families is in-person learning.”
According to state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley, all elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts are now offering in-person learning full-time. As of May 25, Riley reported that 99 percent of all high schools had met the state’s deadline to open up by May 17.
For Lee Middle and High School Principal Gregg Brighenti the move back to full-time, in-person learning comes at the perfect time for students. “I think we’ve seen anxiety levels skyrocketing in many more kids than before … it [reopening] has been a godsend,” he said.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s mental health, its impact on the well-being of young people has been particularly profound. Brighenti has seen that firsthand. “My fellow principals, we’ve seen more students receiving emergency psychological treatment and help. Certainly more suicidal ideation and that sort of stuff.”
It is these kinds of issues that have made the school’s transition to full-time, in-person learning even more significant. “We’ve heard some anecdotal stories from some parents that they’ve seen a huge change in their kids since we reopened fully.”
Precautions have been taken to ensure student and staff safety: masks are still mandatory inside, there are staggered transition times in between classes to minimize student traffic, and lunches look a little bit different — students are spaced out in the cafeteria and the lunch period extended to allow for fewer students in one place at one time. On May 24, the school reached a new milestone: the requirement for one-way directional flow in hallways was dropped. “Everyone seems pretty excited about the little things as we open up more and more,” Brighenti said. “We’re fortunate because, you know, we’re a smaller school.”
Brighenti reiterated that teachers and faculty were crucial in making the plan successful. “They wanted the kids back in the building in the fall, as well,” he said. “They saw what the spring did to relationships with kids, what it did with the learning process … our faculty has been extremely supportive.”
In the days before students returned to school, Brighenti, often the only person in the Lee Middle and High School building, would wander the empty halls, awaiting the return of students. “The red glow of the exit lights in the hallways — I remember seeing that quite often because we were saving power,” recalled Brighenti. “It was literally dark. It was very strange.”
Both Brighenti and Richard believe that there are some changes from the pandemic that are here to stay. “Teachers have learned a lot over this past year about how to use online resources,” Brighenti said.
Richard believes the pandemic enabled a whole new way of thinking for educators. “Adaptability is something people have embraced,” he said. “That is the idea that we have to change as change requires. That part, I think, will remain.”
For Brighenti, the school’s reopening takes on a personal significance — he, himself graduated from the school in 1990. “It’s an awesome little school we’ve got here,” he said. “I’m proud to hopefully have helped some people in this last year.”
The last day of school for the 2020-2021 year for Lee Public Schools is June 18. The 2021-2022 school year begins August 25.
