Small steps begin vast Romanian adventures and friendships for one local Rotarian

Gabriella Saftiou was a student that George Bartlett of
Windham mat in Ramnicu Valcea, Romania during his first
of 16 trips to that country while representing the Sebago
Lakes Rotary Club. Saftiou has visited Maine twice, once
on a tour with other students and while working at
Bartlett's laundromat one summer.
PHOTO  BY GEORGE BARTLETT  

By Lorraine Glowczak

In the mid-1990s, around the age of 60, George Bartlett of Windham had never traveled outside the United States. Having been a member of the Sebago Lakes Rotary Club since 1985, he was inspired to get his first passport. 

“Our club was looking for ways to work on our international service program and wondered what country to consider,” Bartlett, said. “There was a club member who had relatives in Romania and he suggested that we start there.” 

It was from this initial conversation that Bartlett decided to obtain his passport if an opportunity would arise to travel on behalf of the Rotary. This first spontaneous step eventually snowballed into other adventures, meeting people in another country that would become lifelong friends.

“From there, we emailed a few Rotary Clubs in Romania to start an initial conversation and we discovered that they needed assistance with their orphanages and hospitals,” Bartlett said. “In 1998, six Rotarians representing the Southern Maine district traveled to Romania and spent about 10 days to check out the exact needs. The hospitals were in really bad shape – not much equipment to speak of and very few beds for the sick.”

To meet these needs, the Sebago Lakes Rotary collaborated with the six other Rotary Clubs and began gathering medical equipment, collecting over $750,000 worth of equipment that included 12 refurbished dialysis machines from the Maine Dialysis Center. Once collected, the six Rotaries had the containers filled with the much-needed items shipped to 4 hospitals to Ramnicu Valcea, a town located in the central-south area of Romania.

Unfortunately, it was discovered that the equipment was not delivered to the hospitals, remaining on the docks for two months. This was due to the communist influence, which required additional money for the equipment to be released to the hospitals. 

At a Rotary district meeting, it was determined that someone needed to travel to Romania to make sure the equipment made it to the right place. 

“Our District Governor called our Rotary president and asked him to send somebody to Romania,” Bartlett said. “During the next Sebago Lakes Rotary meeting, the president at the time looked at me and told everyone present that since I just got my passport, I should be the one to go to Romania.”

Despite not knowing the language and never having traveled internationally before, Bartlett agreed to go. 

“I didn’t know anyone there. When I landed at the airport in Bucharest, there was no one there to pick me up when I first arrived. Finally, after about five or ten minutes, a woman holding a Rotary sign came through the doors. She was the wife of the local rotary club president who spoke very little English so the three-hour ride to Ramnicu Valcea was quite a challenge, especially after the long air travel.” 

Bartlett didn’t get much rest upon arriving at his destination as he was requested to speak at a Rotary Club at 6:30 that evening. A retired English Teacher, a member of that club acted as his interpreter and guide for the rest of this trip.

In the days after that meeting, Bartlett toured the city, making sure the hospitals received and were using their donated and updated medical equipment. When he thought he had completed his mission and was preparing to return to the US the next morning, he was asked by the English teacher if he could stay and tour the schools. “The students need English books,” she said to him.

“I said ‘yes’, postponing my trip home for three days,” Bartlett said. “In those three days, I visited 13 schools. Sixty students were crammed in one room designed for 30 and they were reading old books in Russian, German, and French but there was no book written in English.” [English is taught in Romania before the fourth grade]. 

It was in this extended stay in Romania that this additional small step led to another adventure. He was asked to send English books. Bartlet said this was a perfect international service project for local Interact Clubs.

“Many southern Maine Interact Clubs, including Windham club members, collected over 10,000 books to schools and the city library in Ramnicu Valcea.”

Bartlett has been back 16 times, working with the schools and helping schools establish Interact Clubs (a high school version of the Rotary Club). While there, he stays with his adopted Rotary family, making long-distance, long-term friendships.

However, Bartlett did not do all of this work on his own.

“I helped to create trips for area Interact Club high school students so they can connect with or help establish Interact Clubs in Ramnicu Valcea and other seven cities throughout Romania,” Bartlett said. 

Bartlett also helped a student from Romania visit Maine.

“During my first high school visit in Romania I met a girl named Gabriella Saftiou who told me she would love to visit Maine but she said she would never be able to,” Bartlett said. “I told her to never say never.”

To give the Romanian Interact Club members the possibility of an American experience, an essay contest was developed and winners of the contest were selected by their teachers to represent Romania in the US. The title of the essay was “Why I would make a good ambassador for Romania.” Saftiou was selected by her teachers and she won a trip to Maine. 

“This was a perfect example of ‘Never say never,’” Bartlett said.

Bartlett continues to stay in touch with Saftiou and his other Romanian families and he hopes to visit again once the pandemic ceases its grip. His greatest hope is to encourage more youth in the local area Interact Clubs to become more civically engaged, both locally and internationally. 

“I hope we can get more youth involved and take them on a trip to Romania to develop long-term friendships much as I have over the past 20 years,” Bartlett said. “I may have started later in my life and I want our youth to have longer and deeper experiences. And all it takes is just one small spontaneous step – and who knows where it will lead you. At least that is what I have discovered throughout all of this.” <

About the Rotary Club

The Rotary began in February 1905 by a Chicago attorney named Paul Harris. He intended to create a space for professionals with diverse backgrounds to gather, creating meaningful and lifelong friendships and exchanging ideas.

Fast forward to today. With over 1.4 million members worldwide, it’s the biggest service organization in the world. Members are currently working on helping save mothers and children, supporting basic education for children, fighting diseases, promoting peace, providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. Rotary has no religious or national affiliation.

 

RSU 14 adds alternating Fridays to in-person instruction schedule

By Ed Pierce

Following a vote by the RSU 14 Board of Directors on
April 7, students will be returning to the classroom for
in-person instruction on alternating Fridays through the
end of the school year. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE 

When RSU 14 students return to the classroom on alternating Fridays following spring break, it will be another step on the path back to some resemblance of normalcy in their school routine disrupted by the pandemic.

Meeting on April 7, the RSU 14 Board of Directors voted to approve alternating Friday schedule starting April 30. Under the plan, students will remain in assigned cohorts and the school calendar will be updated to reflect the change.

Last August the district adopted a hybrid instructional model to ensure the safety, equity and accessibility for all Windham and Raymond students as COVID-19 cases spread throughout Maine. Since then, students have been grouped alphabetically with last names from A to K having in-person classes in school on Mondays and Wednesdays and those with last names from L to Z attending in-person classes in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On days when students are not in school, they have been expected to be following up online with their teachers to the best extent possible on Fridays.

In a letter to the community following the meeting, RSU 14 Superintendent of Schools Christopher Howell acknowledged concerns and opinions about how to proceed expressed by parents, staff and students in formulating the decision to add alternating Fridays to the schedule.

“We greatly appreciate the 375 individuals who attended the meeting, the 2,210 staff, parents, and students who submitted feedback, and the 78 individuals who submitted questions and comments following the April 1 meeting when each of the proposals to increase in-person instruction was reviewed and discussed,” Howell wrote. “The decision was not an easy one but was based on what the board felt was best for our students given the complexities of schedules, capacity when working within Maine CDC social distancing guidelines, and the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in our communities.”

He wrote that the high level of participation and interest in the RSU 14 Board of Directors difficult decision serves to highlight the extraordinary investment everyone has in the school community.

“I am grateful for your feedback and support as we navigate this difficult school year and can assure you that I will continue to collaborate with district staff on behalf of every child in Windham and Raymond schools.”

For education statewide, Maine Gov. Janet Mills released an update earlier this month to its color-coded Health Advisory System that classifies counties’ relative risk of COVID-19 transmission to assist schools as they continue with their plans to deliver instruction and support students safely.

Mills said that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention continue to review evidence that indicates lower transmission of COVID-19 in schools compared to the general population. She pointed out that during March, the rate of new cases for school staff members or students is 30 per 10,000, or about 25 percent lower than a new case rate of 41 per 10,000 for the general population. 

A survey was sent out to all students, families, and staff on April 1 to gather information to help the RSU 14 board reach a consensus about how to proceed. It had been determined that if additional in-person instructional days were approved, building administrators would be directed to work with school staff to ensure appropriate social distancing guidelines continue to be met and that spaces are conducive to engaged learning. It also directs school administrators to ensure adequate staff coverage for all classrooms. 

In adding the alternating Friday schedule through the remainder of the school year and the resulting increase in in-person instructional days, Howell said that RSU 14 will continue to offer students a remote-only learning option if families do not feel comfortable sending their children for in-person lessons on Fridays.  

Students currently using remote learning are free to return to classroom instruction, but do not have to make the transition if their families wish to keep using the remote option through the end of the school year in June.  

Information on the RSU 14 website says that the school district will provide transportation for families who are unable to transport students to school on alternating Fridays.

 

Prior to the April 7 meeting, the RSU 14 Board of Directors reviewed several different options and proposals about adding in-person instructional days to the district schedule. The board said any increase in in-person instruction was in response to expressed community needs for children to return to schools for as much in-person instruction as possible while maintaining adherence to social distancing and health/safety guidelines, as well as the academic, social, and emotional needs of students.

 

“We understand that this has been an extraordinarily challenging year for all staff, students, administrators, and community members. These are difficult decisions. It is important that we maintain a focus on student needs and then respond to challenges that staff are facing as we collaboratively problem solve the myriad of issues that this year has presented,” a board statement read. “As more educators are vaccinated, school districts are examining possible schedule shifts to meet the needs of students and the community.

 

“The RSU 14 Board of Directors has been kept abreast of building-level needs and challenges in response to COVID social distancing guidelines throughout the 2020-2021 school year,” the statement read. “Classroom spacing, furniture needs, social distancing protocols, instructional shifts, social emotional and academic planning, etc., are all being carefully examined and would be presented to the board for their input and consideration, as well. Every decision made by the RSU 14 Board of Directors is made following a thorough review of multiple perspectives.” <

RSU 14’s IT Department overcomes challenges in keeping students connected during pandemic

RSU 14 Network Administrator Mark Politano
examines a computer at Windham High School 
on Tuesday. The school district's information
technology staff has stepped up to the challenge 
of providing and servicing computer equipment 
for students who have had to study remotely
from home as a result of the pandemic.
PHOTO BY HOLDEN ANDERSON 

By Elizabeth Richards

Both hybrid and full remote learning have required planning and technical support far beyond a typical year. Administrators, teachers, and technology staff have made keeping students connected – both online and emotionally – a top priority in RSU 14.

According to Director of Curriculum Christine Hesler, RSU 14 approached full remote learning differently than other districts in the area who opted to use a software called Edmentum.  In RSU 14, they wanted to ensure that remote students stayed connected to the RSU, their schools, and district staff, Hesler said.

RSU 14 provides remote teachers at each grade level, using the same curriculum, teaching strategies, and connections to the schools as students would have in person to keep things as consistent as possible.

“We felt that was really important because eventually we’re all coming back,” Hesler said. 

With the move to having students in both hybrid learning and remote learning, demand for technological solutions, and support using them, has increased.

The district is sending students as young as second or third grade home with devices for distance learning.

“We’ve never done that before,” said Bob Hickey, RSU 14 Director of Technology. “This allows students to have a device with them while they are not at school and supports both the hybrid and distance students.  We are also working on sending home devices for students as young as kindergarten and first grade.”

The district has also increased the number of devices available so that in addition to a MacBook Air for each student in grades 2 through 12, there’s an iPad for every kindergarten and first grade student instead of one for every two students as in past years, Hickey said.

“This helps with interactive tablet interfaces for young students who lack keyboarding skills,” he said.

Hickey said the district also has iPads for the 32 Pre-K students at the new program in Raymond.  “Even the youngest students show the ability to use the touchscreen and all the most successful educational apps are available on this platform.”

The district has made great efforts to provide wi-fi hotspots to families who otherwise wouldn’t have
internet access at home, so students aren’t left without support, Hickey said. 

“Some of the hotspots were free from the state, others the district paid for to bolster the availability of devices,” he said.  

Tammy Lorenzatti, Technology Instructor at Windham High School and a representative of the WHS InfoTech team, which includes librarians Amy Denecker and Kristin Chavonelle, said, “Much of the support we offer students and families comes directly through our work with teachers.”

Over the summer, she said, a district-wide team created a mini-course focused on best practices for virtual learning to help faculty and staff in RSU 14 develop experiences that would empower students to succeed.  Hesler published grade-level remote learning dashboards for teachers to access essential tools, information and materials, Lorenzatti said.

Since schools reopened, Lorenzatti said, they’ve continued to offer virtual professional development opportunities to the district.  They will be piloting a “Teacher Tech for Teachers” program, where they’ll facilitate sharing of remote teaching strategies among teachers.

“If this initiative is successful at the high school, we hope to share the opportunity with other schools in the district later this year,” she said.

Hybrid and remote learning poses many challenges, particularly when it comes to technology.  “The transition to remote learning seems to have changed almost every aspect of what we do in schools. As a result, we’ve learned to be flexible and creative in accommodating the ever-changing needs of the community,” Lorenzatti said. “We started the year aware that access to materials was going to be a greater challenge for both students and teachers.”

In order to make transitions as seamless as possible, she said, they invested in several online streaming platforms that provide teachers with digital access to movies, pop culture and educational magazines, ebooks and audiobooks.

Technology has also been used to connect teachers and students virtually.

“Beyond Meet and Zoom, we’ve purchased several Owl smart cameras, which give remote teachers full-sound and a 360-degree view of the students in their classroom. Prior to the arrival of the Owls, we had to adapt our greenscreen camera and computer station to connect remote teachers with their in-person classes at school, and using this technology, we’ve successfully enabled instruction to continue despite the distance,” Lorenzatti said.

Because streaming and online meetings have become far more frequent, Hickey said, they’ve faced a heavier reliance on the district network. To address this need, they worked with the Maine School and Library Network, who provides the district’s internet connection, to increase bandwidth from 1 Gigabit to a 2 Gigabit connection.

Increased technology use can require more troubleshooting.  Dedicated teachers and a skilled district Technology Integrator help students and families resolve issues, Hickey said.  Parents can email HelpDesk@rsu14.org if their student’s account is locked out or they have hardware issues and need a replacement student device, he added.

 “While teaching in the remote and hybrid models, many teachers are the front line for students and families,” Lorenzatti said.  When difficulties arise, she said, the InfoTech team works closely with teachers to provide support both in-person and through their website, www.whslibrary.org, which offers how-to guides, class guides, InfoTech resources and tools, and application tutorials.  

Federal funding efforts by staff have enabled the district to attain interactive white boards that will replace very old smart boards, whiteboards, projectors, apple TVs that communicate with the projector and sound bars, which will all be consolidated into one device, Hickey said.  “These devices will be used by the teacher and even remote students can view what is displayed on the electronic whiteboard.  It really helps to tie together the in-person folks and remote students,” he said.

District staff are creating connections beyond core academics as well.  Hesler said that UA teachers are videotaping lessons for students to participate in at home.  While these, of course, look different than face to face instruction, it allows students to continue engaging in those aspects of school.

“We cannot replicate everything, but we’re trying to think differently of how we can give kids that experience,” she said.

The InfoTech team has worked closely with teachers, club advisors, and coaches to find the most effective methods to live stream events, such as sports and virtual spirit weeks, Lorenzatti said.  The team has also created a Play site, updated every Friday, where students are provided fun, boredom blasting activities, she said. 

That site can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/infotechplay/home. <

School cleaning protocols in place to protect students

Ron Molina, head custodian at Windham Primary
School, cleans door handles at the school on
Wednesday morning. Across RSU 14 in Windham
and Raymond, custodial staffs are busy cleaning
surfaces, classrooms, bathrooms and common
school areas used by students and teachers
throughout the day to meet CDC requirements
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Elizabeth Richards

Strong cleaning policies for RSU 14 facilities are giving the district a head start in keeping schools clean and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Hansen, Director of Facilities, Property Services and Special Projects, said that for the past few years, the district has worked hard with custodial supply vendors to continually update and improve cleaning processes and procedures.  This included reviewing chemicals used, switching to all microfiber cleaning, and installing hand sanitizer in the classrooms.

As a result, the district was already well prepared to manage the cleaning and sanitizing protocols required to safely reopen.

“When the pandemic started, the cleaning processes in place were already appropriate,” Hansen said. “The changes that have been made focus on increasing our ability to serve the building while students are present.  This includes adding additional custodial staffing during the day, adjusting custodial hours to support the cleaning between student days, and for the time being restricting school use to educational purposes only so the evening custodial staff can focus solely on cleaning and not event set up or public use of the spaces.”

Specific protocols for cleaning and disinfecting during the pandemic are outlined in the 2020-2021 School Reopening plan, which is available on the home page of the RSU 14 website (www.rsu14.org), said Assistant Superintendent Christine Frost-Bertinet.

These guidelines include a long list of specific items throughout the school that must be disinfected and additional guidance around the use of tools and travel for maintenance employees. In addition to the
COVID-19 guidelines, custodial and maintenance employees must follow documented standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting.

Other measures have also been taken to promote good health in the schools.  As recommended by the CDC, Hansen said, RSU 14 converted most of the sink faucets in the district to hands free operation, allowing students and staff to wash without needing to touch the fixtures.

The district has also created outdoor classroom spaces for students, allowing for more social distancing, mask breaks, and fresh air.

“These spaces have been a hit with the students and have been used regularly,” Hansen said.  Large outdoor picnic tables were purchased for students to work at in these outdoor spaces, Hansen said.

“Going forward the RSU has plans to create several outside teaching space structures with roofs to allow expanded use of the outdoor environment for teaching and learning,” he said.

The district has also been focused on improving building air filtration and increasing the amount of fresh air into the spaces as recommended by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as a response to COVID, Hansen said.

“This increased air flow and filtration provides an improved indoor environment and the additional outside air also results in more air changes per hour resulting in more fresh outside air in the educational spaces,” he said.

Other upgrade projects are underway that will provide long term ventilation improvements, enhanced filtration, increased outside air flow and building controls upgrades designed to provide improved indoor environments, Hansen said. 

Inspections and preventative maintenance procedures have also been completed on the air handling and exhaust air systems to be sure they are operating efficiently and as designed.

Frost-Bertinet said that the transition back to school for staff and students has gone very well overall. 

“Students and their families have been following the expected health and safety protocols, they have     
transitioned smoothly to the new and unusual schedule and have demonstrated remarkable resilience in light of everything they are facing. We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful to our families for their continued support and flexibility,” she said.

The pandemic presents challenges for all involved: staff, students and families.

“Our staff has done an exemplary job of stepping up to the challenges we are all facing. They have kept students and families at the forefront of their thinking and worked incredibly hard to adjust to the myriad of changes in response to COVID-19,” Frost-Bertinet said.

Hansen agreed.

“Staying the course with mask use, hand washing, social distancing and staying home when not feeling well will be most important,” said Hansen. “The departure from our normal to this new state is a continued stressor for all and as a district we will continue to work to find ways to continue to provide the supports and assistance needed. This challenge is not likely to go away anytime soon and working together we can continue to be successful and deliver success for all.” <

Raymond seeks feedback as initial RSU 14 withdrawal proposal approved

If approved by Raymond residents in a referendum
on Nov. 3, Jordan-Small Middle School, shown, and
Raymond Elementary School would fall under
the control of a new Raymond School Board and
officially withdraw from RSU 14. High school
students living in Raymond would be given
a choice of where to attend high school under
the proposal. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Lorraine Glowczak

In May 2018, Raymond resident Teresa Sadak began circulating a petition among the town’s registered voters to begin a process to withdraw from RSU14. She collected 353 signatures and presented those signatures and the petition to the Raymond Select Board on June 19 of that same year. The select board voted to accept the request and move forward on the withdrawal effort at that time.

Last week the Maine Department of Education gave its initial approval to Raymond for its withdrawal plan, which now moves forward to a process of public hearings and workshops prior to a town referendum vote on the issue on the November ballot. 

“I have been very concerned about Raymond’s level of input and the lack of local control we have had regarding the school district’s decisions,” said Sadak, who is also a member of the Raymond Select Board. “When the new Windham Public Works Building was voted on two years ago and is now newly built, we as members of the RSU were not given a say on how that would increase Raymond’s school funding. Additionally, Jordan-Small has plenty of space to share with Windham students and the RSU is not making use of space available to them. Instead, they are placing portable buildings to address overcrowding in the Windham schools which increases tax revenue. These are my concerns and I think it is time to be self-sufficient, having control over our own schools.”

Sadak’s petition was the first step in a 22-step process required by the State of Maine’s Department of Education. All municipalities must adhere to this process as part of a withdrawal from a regional school unit or school administrative district. 

After about two years of meetings with direction from Educational Consultant, Dr. Mark Eastman and Town Attorney Dan Stockford, members of the RSU Withdrawal Committee are ready for step number 17.

Informational meetings will be held to allow for public hearings on any withdrawal question and concerns Raymond citizens may have.

Members of the Withdrawal Committee include: Sadak as the petitioner, Rolf Olsen represents the Raymond Select Board and is Chair of the committee, Kate Leveille is member of the RSU14 Board

and Joe Bruno fills the role of Raymond citizen.

The dates for the RSU14 withdrawal committee informational meetings are:

** Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

** Monday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

** Thursday, Sept. 17 at noon. Meeting site to be announced.

** Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. Meeting at the Jordan-Small Middle School auditorium.

** Monday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Meeting will be via Zoom.

“If people wish to e-mail a question ahead of time, which will be read and answered at the meeting, it can be e-mailed to RSU.Withdrawal@raymondmaine.org,” Olsen said. “Information for getting into the Zoom meetings will be posted on the Town of Raymond website at www.raymondmaine.org.”

Under the proposed withdrawal plan, Raymond, which first consolidated with Windham schools in 2008, would form a new school board, hire a superintendent and administer Raymond Elementary School and Jordan-Small Middle School. Raymond students could choose the high school they want to attend if the new high school district is able to accept the new Raymond district’s tuition payment. Right now, a total of more than 80 percent of high school students in Raymond are attending Windham High School.     

There are some concerns about the possible withdrawal from the school district and Leveille shared

some of those apprehensions.

“As a parent of a young child at Raymond Elementary School, I have been extremely pleased with the education and services that my child has received as an RSU and see no need to add more change to our child’s lives especially during the current pandemic,” Leveille said. “I also have concerns about the quality of administrative staff currently available in Maine. If the withdrawal does occur, we would need to hire a new superintendent in a time when quality superintendents are scarce. Additionally, while the current proposal guarantees that teachers will have the same contract, it is a one-year guarantee. As for the concern that because there are only three Raymond representatives on the school board that votes can never go in Raymond’s favor - I can assure you, that in the two and a half years that I have been on the school board, no one votes with a Windham or Raymond motive.”

Whatever point of view one may have regarding the RSU14 withdrawal, both perspectives want the best for the students and their families.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the town,” Raymond Town Manager Don Willard said. “Raymond was once nationally recognized for its schools of excellence, prior to the RSU merger and I would like to see us achieve this distinction once again. When you combine local control and schools of excellence with school choice, you have a formula that will make the town an even more desirable place in which to live.”

The 18th step will take place during the Nov. 3 general election which will provide Raymond residents with the opportunity to vote for or against the RSU 14 withdrawal.

For more information about the proposed RSU 14 withdrawal, contact the Raymond town office at 207-655-4742. <

RSU 14 proposes hybrid plan for school reopening

By Ed Pierce

In the wake of COVID-19 restrictions, RSU 14 Schools Superintendent Christopher Howell has recommended that the school district adopt a hybrid model for the start of the school year for students in Windham and Raymond.

To comply with Maine CDC social distancing requirements
during the pandemic, only 26 RSU 14 students can be transported
to school on board a district school bus. That and the number
of students allowed inside a classroom at any given time are
factors that has led RSU 14 Schools Superintendent Christopher
Howell to recommend starting school under a hybrid plan
next month. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

In a Zoom presentation made to the RSU 14 Board of Directors on Wednesday evening, Howell proposed starting in-person instruction for students in Grades 1 to 9 on Sept. 1, with students in Grade 10 through 12 starting in-person classes on Sept. 2.

Using the hybrid model, students would be grouped alphabetically with last names from A to K having in-person classes in school on Mondays and Wednesdays and those with last names from L to Z attending in-person classes in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the days when students are not in school, they will be following up online with their teachers to the best extent possible,

Howell told the board that making the decision about proposing a hybrid model was not easy and took into account that Maine Center for Disease Control health restrictions limiting the number students on school buses to 26 and no more than 50 students in a group factored in this decision. Typically, about 60 students are transported aboard each bus for the trip to school.

“When the state announced its model for reopening schools, it was released prior to health considerations issued by the Maine CDC,” Howell said.   

On July 31, Maine’s Department of Education recommended that all school districts in the state could reopen for in-person instruction if health and safety guidelines were adhered to.  

The RSU 14 board is expected to vote on Howell’s proposal at its Aug. 19 meeting.

Besides proposing how and when to bring back students to school, Howell said many other issues had to be examined, including how exactly to transition students back into in-person instruction after spending the spring receiving instruction from teachers online using Zoom.

“Our challenges mean every student and every staff member has to wear a mask,” he said. “We’ve also had to undertake the challenge of managing and ensuring that the district has a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment ready and available.”

He said right now RSU 14 has obtained 600 gallons of hand sanitizer and thousands of masks.        

“Like everyone else this summer, we’ve been thinking about what school will be like this fall and will students be safe,” Howell said.

Students attending classes in-person will start at school each day with hand sanitizer, but temperature checks and self-health assessments will be performed at home by families. 

During his presentation, Howell shared results with the board of a survey of RSU 14 parents about how to best instruction this fall.

“Over 80 percent of parents said that they want their children back in school,” Howell said. “They also said they will accept other models if necessary.”

According to Howell, RSU 14 also is planning to offer students a remote-only learning option if families do not feel comfortable with the proposed hybrid plan for the start of fall classes.

He said that the foundation of the reopening proposal is to ensure the safety, equity and accessibility for all Windham and Raymond students.

Because of additional cleaning requirements for schools as a result of COVID-19, some additional daytime custodians will be deployed to help cleanse hard common surfaces. The district also is exploring different scenarios for student lunches, ranging from eating in the classroom to finding larger spaces in the schools for lunchrooms to accommodate social distancing mandates. For some schools, RSU 14 has purchased additional picnic tables for students to eat lunch outdoors.

School administrators also are looking at giving students multiple mask breaks during the school day and how to best do that.

“We recognize kids can’t spend all day in the classroom,” Howell said. “We’ve also looked carefully at classroom space to keep students 3 to 6 feet apart and only 10 students in a classroom.”

Howell said many of those social distancing mandates will be met by adopting the hybrid model until such a time when COVID-19 restrictions are eased to allow for all students to resume normal in-person instruction at some point in the future.

At the RSU 14 main office building, plexiglass barriers have been installed to limit COVID-19 transmission.

Howell said he’s aware of the uncertainty regarding the virus and that like countless others across the country, RSU 14 staff is doing it all it can to keep everyone as safe as possible during the pandemic.

“We’re all feeling the strain of distancing requirements and we’re all trying to return students to school safely,” he said. “It will definitely be a different school setting than what we’ve come to expect.” <