In Laconia Schools . . . Summer Programming and School Reopening

LACONIA — On behalf of the Laconia School District, I hope you had a great Independence Day weekend and that you are off to a magnificent start to your summer. The 142nd graduation was a memorable and wonderful event that celebrated the Class of 2020 and our community and helped bring the 2019-20 school year to a close. During this unique school year, our staff and school community came together to support our students in remote learning after school districts around the state and the nation closed down in March. As we move into the 2020-21 school year, we are providing summer learning and co-curricular opportunities for our students. We are also engaging in planning and preparation for the upcoming school year.

This week, extended year programming and summer learning opportunities begin throughout our school district. At this point, we will be offering these programs remotely and will provide students interventions and supports, services, and enrichment opportunities. While we continue to follow guidelines to ensure that are staff and students are safe.

Based on what the data is telling us and what guidelines allow, we have some in-person experiences for some of our students this summer. We are working on a plan that will allow our high school students to recover credit for courses at Laconia High School. The Office of Extended Learning has organized project-based learning enrichment opportunities for our middle school students that will connect them with their community and the world around them. Teachers in this program have organized meetings with students to support them. We are excited to announce that several community partners will also work with these students on their projects. We are not yet able to offer in-person experiences to large numbers of students based on our commitment to continue following necessary guidelines and safety precautions.

Because of a memorandum of understanding signed by our school board and our teachers’ union, spring coaches are working with middle and high school student athletes on conditioning and providing other experiences for them this summer. At this point, 78 student-athletes are participating in these activities. These opportunities have given our kids a chance to stay active and reconnect with adults and their peers. The door remains open for any middle and high school student, including graduates of the Class of 2020, to join these workouts.

Our present reality indicates that many questions about how schools will open in the fall remain. Next week, a variety of stakeholders from the Laconia School District community will come together in seven work groups, each of which will represent a different aspect of our schools: governance, instruction, school operations, post-secondary, wellness, technology, and facilities. There will also be an oversight committee that will include representatives from these work groups to coordinate the efforts of these teams. The goal of this work will be to consider a variety of scenarios for our schools to open and to develop recommendations for how to best educate our children in the fall.

There are many ideas about opening schools in the fall. It is important that we continue to prioritize the safety of our children, staff and families, consider what the data is telling us, listen to experts, and follow guidelines. The New Hampshire Department of Education put together a School Reopening and Redesign Taskforce (STRRT), which came up with some recommendations for local school districts to consider. These suggestions will help us in our planning. In the end, New Hampshire communities like ours will develop their own flexible plans for the opening of schools with consideration for three scenarios: return to school, remote learning, or some form of hybrid option. Because Laconia is the site of the Huot Technical Center, which receives students from seven school districts, our continued regional collaboration will be important. I have great faith that our school community will continue to come together and do what is best for our children.

In closing, the city of Laconia lost a great public servant a few days ago. Councilor David Bownes was a great advocate for education and the arts. As we move into our planning and preparation for the 2020-21 school year, I have great faith that we will do so in the spirit of his can-do attitude, solutions-oriented mindset, and in the love that he had for our city as we have done in Laconia time-and-time again over the years.

Steve Tucker, Superintendent Laconia School District