Contact:

Tess Nacelewicz Grace Valenzuela, Exec Director,

Communications Coordinator Communications & Community Partnerships
Portland Public Schools Portland Public Schools
nacelt@portlandschools.org valeng@portlandschools.org
207- 874-8173 207-874-8135, ext. 7801

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 3, 2020

Portland Superintendent Recommends Having Students Return to School

for In-Person Instruction this Fall
Superintendent Xavier Botana is recommending to the Portland Board of Public Education
that the Portland Public Schools adopt a hybrid scenario to start school this fall, staggering
the number of students who can attend school in person. Botana also is recommending
postponing the first day of school for students for two weeks, until Sept. 14, to help schools
prepare for new health and safety protocols for students and staff. Botana’s recommendation
goes to the Board on Aug. 4 and the Board will hold a public hearing on the plan.

PORTLAND, Maine – Superintendent Xavier Botana is recommending that the Portland

Public Schools adopt a “yellow” hybrid scenario for students to safely return to school this
fall during the COVID-19 pandemic. That hybrid plan would limit the time and stagger the
number of students who can attend school in person, depending on grade level. Details of
the recommended scenario for the various grade levels are as follows:

Pre-K-5:
● To start the year, half of the students would attend school in person 2 days per week
and participate remotely 3 days. The district is working with community partners
to provide before- and after-school care and also programming for students on their
remote learning days.
● If elementary school staff and students demonstrate that they are able to
successfully adjust to the required health and safety guidelines in the first month of
school, Botana’s recommendation is to have all Pre-K through grade 5 students
return to school for in-person instruction 5 days per week by Oct. 13.
● Peaks Island School and Cliff Island School would go directly to in-person learning
five days a week.
6-8:​ Half of the students attend school in person 2 days per week and participate remotely
3 days. This plan would stay in place for the first trimester and then be re-evaluated.
9-12:​ Ninth-graders attend school in person 2 days per week and participate remotely 3
days. Students in grades 10-12 would continue to learn remotely in the morning and would
have scheduled access to in-person support for academics, social emotional needs and
extra-curricular activities in the afternoon
The ​Portland Arts and Technology High School​ (PATHS) would operate on a hybrid
schedule with all students attending in person 2 days a week and learning remotely the
remainder of their schedule.
Portland Adult Education​ would provide in-person enrollment, screening and placement
support but classes would be mostly remote.

A ​remote learning option​ with consistent schedules and learning experiences also will be
available for families who opt not to attend in-person school.

Botana envisions these plans staying in place through the end of the first trimester and
would be reconsidered then, or if the state’s color-coded advisory designation requires a
move to remote learning.

Botana also is recommending that the first day of school for students be postponed by
about two weeks – from Aug. 31 to Sept. 14 – to allow teachers and other staff to prepare
for all the safety precautions that must be in place before students enter buildings. All
students and staff would be required to follow mandated state health and safety protocols
that include mask wearing, physical distancing, and daily symptom checks.

“Overall,” Botana said, “We have so many new protocols and routines that we need to put in
place that we need the extra time to get ourselves ready.” Teachers and other staff will
return to work on Aug. 24, as originally scheduled, for professional development and
planning to ensure that the first day for students gets off to a smooth start.

Botana will be presenting his recommendation and explaining the rationale behind it to the
Portland Board of Public Education at its ​6 p.m. Zoom meeting​ on Tuesday, Aug. 4. After the
adjournment of its meeting, the Board will hold a public hearing on the plan. The Board is
expected to vote on the recommendation on its Aug. 18 meeting.

Botana’s recommendation follows the first posting on July 31 by the Maine Department of
Education of its ​color-coded health advisory system​ for each county. MDOE, which will
update its advisory every two weeks, categorized all counties in Maine as “green,” with a
relatively low risk of COVID-19 spread.

That means that schools may resume in-person instruction if they are able implement six
state-mandated health and safety measures: symptom screening at home before coming to
school; physical distancing in buses, classrooms, hallways and other spaces; masks or face
coverings for students and staff; hand hygiene; personal protective equipment; and the
establishment of a return-to-school-after-illness protocol. If schools can’t fully implement
all those requirements – for such reasons as insufficient space, staffing or transportation –
districts may offer a hybrid model.

Botana thanked the 20 district workgroups that have worked throughout the summer to
develop a framework for reopening school for 2020-2021 school year. “I am grateful for the
passion and commitment of our staff and their resourcefulness in thinking through how to
maximize learning opportunities for our students in these trying times,” Botana said. The
groups have included a design team made up of administrators, educators and a Board
member and over 100 educators and community partners, informed by input from parents
in the planning process. The workgroups substantively completed their design work on
July 24 and their conclusions were summarized in a ​letter to parents​ that day and served as
the basis for the district’s ​plan​.

The ​Portland Public Schools​ is Maine’s largest school district, with about 6,750 students,
and is also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students – 35 percent – come
from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of more than 60
languages. About 53 percent of the district’s students are white and 47 percent are students of
color. Approximately half of PPS students qualify for free or reduced school lunch. 

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