An Alternate Day/Week Hybrid Model Should Be Used for Brady Middle School

Dear Dr. Campbell, Mr. Frank and Board of Education members,

As concerned parents of students attending Brady Middle School, we believe that the half-day hybrid format currently proposed for the return of in-person instruction at Brady falls short of providing the best and safest possible educational experience, to our middle schoolers.

We are petitioning you to consider formally an alternate day/week format (similar to that adopted by Orange High School) for hybrid instruction.  It is not just an argument based on copying the model being taken by the high school, not just an assumption that what is good for the high school works for the middle school.  

Several points support a compelling case for Brady to use an alternative day/week model instead of the proposed half-day model.

Background:  On September 23, the Orange School District released details on the instructional models and schedules that would be implemented when in-person instruction returns, potentially on October 19.

Under the district’s plan, students at Brady Middle School who return physically to the classroom under the hybrid learning option will be split into two cohorts (AM and PM). Each cohort will have 2.5 hours of in-person instruction daily at Brady - the AM cohort between 8:00am and 10:30am and the PM cohort between 1:00pm and 3:30pm. Each group will spend the other part of the day in remote learning environment, through video conferencing into the classroom.

The 2.5 hour midday break built into this schedule will be used to bus the AM cohort home, sanitize and then bus the PM cohort to school. Students will use the 2.5 hours in-between the morning and afternoon sessions to move to/from home, and for lunch. Faculty and staff will use this time for lunch and cleaning, and potentially individual instructional time with remote students.

The Argument:  The rationale put forward by the district for a daily half-day model is that it would ensure students have regular in-person schooling. 

We observe the following:

o   Middle school students are more independent than elementary school students, and have learning needs closer aligned with older students. The success of online learning so far this fall indicates that many middle school students can do well with organized full-time online schooling.  We agree that the students need daily live schooling.  We challenge the notion that half-day in-person schooling as proposed is necessary for the successfully development of middle school students. While it is understandable that younger elementary aged children will benefit from this consistency, middle schoolers are significantly more independent and have different needs.   

An alternate day/week schedule will still provide daily organized instructional and learning time NOT at the expense of instructional time. To clarify, we are not asking that middle school schedule follows high school block format. The current bell schedule can still be followed with an alternate day/week schedule.

o   There are negative impacts on both hybrid learning and remote learning students under the proposed half-day format. 

o   Under the current fully remote learning regime, students have been scheduled for less instructional time than in typical years. The high school has recognized it needs to increase instructional time, and has identified an alternate week schedule to facilitate that goal. 

While the district has endeavored to not reduce instructional time any further at Brady, we believe the district should be seeking to increase school time at Brady (whether in-person or virtual) as at OHS.  The proposed half-day format does not allow for increasing instructional time, and will reduce overall learning time due to mid-day transition.

For example, busy with transportation and lunch, hybrid learning students will not have the benefit of using “personalized learning time” in the middle of the day to work on assignments and additional learning (as full remote students can) or for other group activities and interaction that occurs with the traditional school day.

An alternate day/week schedule will provide opportunities for students to interact in-person BUT NOT at the expense of instructional time.

o   Half-day schedule is highly disruptive to the students’ day.  The need to change learning environment twice a day will create stress and anxiety for students who may not easily transition.  Also, compared to an alternate day/week schedule, the hustle and bustle of teaching and transitioning two in-person student cohorts in and out of school on a daily basis will inevitably reduce the time and energy that can be devoted to meeting the needs of remote learning students. Those students will already be challenged by a new teaching mode where in-person classes will be livestreamed.

An alternate day/week schedule can better use teachers’ time and efforts to ensure that teachers will be able to direct their attention more effectively to the benefit of all students. Students can focus on the particular day, without disruptions of transportation and changing environment.

o   Half-day schedule is logistically difficult. Parents are being asked to transport their children to the extent possible in order to maximize ability to socially distance on the bus for those children that need transportation. Even for parents with enough flexibility to provide transportation, it will be very difficult to accommodate short days every day, especially with anticipated traffic congestion.

An alternate day/week schedule will allow more families to provide transportation for their children and minimize potential bus exposure.

-          Half-day schedule exposes our children to increased COVID-19 risk on multiple levels. Cohorts are exposed due to utilizing the same buses during a very short window of time. From epidemiological point of view, it is not optimal to move large groups of people in a short period of time, which is bound to happen in the hallways, classrooms, restrooms, etc. We are aware that the school is counting on PPE to minimize the spread, however, there are many adults that are not properly utilizing masks (evidence by a trip to any store), it is a high expectation to have of children. Orange schools communicated the following in regards to the Orange High School schedule: “to address concerns that older students may be likely to contract and transmit COVID-19 more readily than younger students, the OHS cohorts will attend weekly instead of daily.” However, children over 10 (and in some studies, over 12) are considered to be a single risk group, thus middle schoolers are closer aligned with high school students from the risk of transmission than younger children.

An alternate day/week schedule will minimize exposure and risk of transmission between cohorts. In particular, with week on/ week off schedule, if a student would contact COVID-19, it would provide ample time for incubation and symptoms to appear before returning to school the following week and potentially spreading the virus before an individual becomes symptomatic.

-          The logistical challenges of the daily half-day model are significant. Disadvantages compared to an alternate day/week model include the extra time and energy spent by teachers and other staff members (for what comparative benefit?) managing two student cohorts daily, as cleaning requirements are doubled compared to an alternate day/week model.  The environmental impact of student transportation is also potentially doubled compared to an alternative day/week model.

Based on the reasons outlined above, we, the undersigned, call on the Orange School District to work with parents and teachers to reevaluate the proposed half-day hybrid learning model for Brady Middle School, and instead implement an alternate day/week hybrid model. We urge the school to consider any form of alternate day/week hybrid model, such as:

-          Cohort A – Mon/ Tue; Cohort B - Tue/Wed; Friday – fully remote

-          Cohort A – Mon/Wed; Cohort B - Tue/Thur; Friday – fully remote

-          Cohort A – Mon/Thur; Cohort B – Tue/Fri; Wednesday – fully remote

-          Cohort A – week 1 in person/ week 2 remote; Cohort B – Week 1 remote/ week 2 in person

It is important for our children to continue their education in the safest and most effective way possible, and an alternate day/week model will provide a less chaotic and more effective educational experience for the middle school students than the daily half-day model.