Superintendent's Letter
August 1, 2020
Saturday, August 1, 2020 Update
Dear Students, Parents, Staff, and the Lebanon Community,
Thank you for taking the time to complete the parent survey related to Lebanon School’s reopening. We really appreciate the feedback. There were 917 responses and the results of the survey can be found at the following link -Survey Results
The Fall Planning Team has been actively reviewing the results of the survey and outlining planning details and options for reopening our schools this fall. In this letter, I am attaching documents to the information that the School Board will be using to discuss the reopening of schools at the upcoming board meeting on August 5, 2020, at 6:30 pm. The Board meeting will be held at the Lebanon Middle School and online via Zoom. For more information, please see the following link:
August 5th SAU 88 Board Meeting Time and Agenda
Overall, the Planning Team has been examining three reopening options plus all of the details required for reopening schools such as transportation, modifications to facilities, cleaning services, health screening, meals, masks, social distancing, technology, support services, procedures related to visitors, staffing considerations and modifications required to the normal day to day activities. In looking at the options and details considerations included the health and well-being of our students, staff and the community, compliance with NH State Guidelines, and the overall educational experience.
The three reopening options that will be presented to the School Board are:
1. 5 days in School/Remote- Students attend classes in-person 5 days a week *
2. A/B Model/Remote-The entire school population of students is divided into half. One half is labeled Group A; the other half is labeled Group B. Group A attends school two days per week (i.e. Monday and Thursday). Group B attends school two days per week (i.e. Tuesday and Friday). On Wednesday all students learn remotely. Therefore, each Group meets with teachers in-person two days a week and learns remotely three days a week.
3. 100% District-Wide Fully Remote Learning
*For options 1 and 2, parents can choose to have their children learn remotely from home and not attend school in-person.
In New Hampshire, parents also have the option to homeschool their children.
The detailed information for the options, modifications to the educational program including athletics can be found by clicking on the links below:
·Lebanon School District Fall Reopening Concepts for School Board Consideration
·School Board Proposal- Fall Return To Activities prepared by Mr. Smith, LHS Principal, and
Mr. Stone, LHS Athletic and Co-Curricular Director
The information provided is lengthy, but we wanted to provide as much detail as we can at this point in time. I write, at this point in time, because the Planning Team is meeting once more before the Board meeting Wednesday to review the document. Any updates or additional information from the Planning Committee’s discussion on Tuesday will be posted on the website Wednesday morning. Please take the time to review the information as it will be the basis for the Board’s discussion and decisions on Wednesday. Once the Board reviews the information and provides direction going forward, the Planning Team will go right back to work finalizing the details for the Fall.
State of New Hampshire Travel Restrictions
New Hampshire is now recommending that residents self-quarantine for 14 days following ANY travel outside of New England. For everyone's health and safety, we will follow the state's quarantine guidelines. State guidelines indicate that a negative test result does not negate the need for quarantine.
The following is a link to my previous Superintendent’s letters over the past couple of months in case you are interested in any additional background information on communications leading up to this point.
Archived Superintendent Letters
In closing, I would like to thank the 31 members of the Planning Team that helped follow up on the details and pull this information together. They have been working since mid-June and done an incredible amount of work performing research, sharing ideas, and discussing the different options. I would also like to thank parents and community members for sharing their ideas and suggestions.
This is a complex time with information changing daily and difficult decisions to be made. There are different opinions, conflicting research, but everyone is doing the best that they can when it comes to reopening decisions. On Wednesday, we will receive guidance to finalize plans for the start of school on September 3rd.
Thank you for taking the time to review this information and for your continued support.
Dr. Joanne Roberts
Important Links:
COVID-19 Resources:
Upper Valley Strong
Upper Valley Strong is a group of organizations who come together in times of emergency to help our communities.
Under the UV Strong umbrella, over 20 agencies and community representatives work together to respond to urgent needs in our region. The organization was first launched in 2011 in response to Hurricane Irene. In March 2020 UV Strong was reactivated to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UV Strong’s purpose is to connect people in need to services, coordinate resources, and share expertise. In response to COVID-19, UV Strong is focused on issues including child care, housing, support for seniors, food access, and transportation.
We are your neighbors helping neighbors. At our core, we support agencies you already know, such as the Upper Valley Haven, LISTEN, and many more. We know that by working together, we will achieve more than we ever could alone.
- For people who want to volunteer - VolunteerHub link: http://vhub.at/uvstrong
- For groups and organizations with needs - Google form link: https://forms.gle/cjwe9tnMvLp4PL5H9
- Check out UV Strong on Facebook @uvstrong.org
Women's Health Resource Center. The Resource Center provides feminine products, baby diapers, and also has some baby formula available at this time. Contact information: Phone- 603-650-2600; Email- whrc@hitchcock.org. The Resource Center is located at 9 Hanover Street, Lebanon next to Three Tomatoes.
Links to further information:
City of Lebanon https://lebanonnh.gov/1350/COVID-19
DHMC https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/patient-education/coronavirus.html
DHHS NH Department of Health and Human Services
CDC School Guidance
Lebanon School Board Information
Upcoming School Board Meeting:
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 6:30 pm
LMS Gym or via Zoom
Please visit the SAU #88 website for further information.
Lebanon School District Mission Statement
The Lebanon School District, in partnership with the community, is committed to providing a challenging, positive and safe learning environment that CARES:
- Cultivates curiosity and collaboration
- Achieves academic excellence
- Respects and values diversity
- Encourages responsible citizenship
- Supports the needs of every learner
SAU #88 Lebanon School District
Website: www.sau88.net
Location: 20 Seminary Hill Road, West Lebanon, NH, USA
Phone: 603-795-8500