Good afternoon North Reading Parents/Guardians and School Community,


I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone-- parents, teachers, and students-- for such a remarkable response in these challenging and unprecedented times. From what I’m seeing online and on social media teachers have compiled incredible resources and parents are assisting students in engaging with these enrichment activities. This has worked very well this first week and I appreciate everyone’s hard work and support.


Dr. Downs has helped to compile many of these resources on this site.


As we look to the next two weeks, through April 7th, we must begin to consider that there is a possibility that the recommendation will be for schools to remain closed for a longer period of time. We are awaiting further guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) about what teaching and learning will look like in the event of an extended closure.


I will be meeting on Monday with a large group of Merrimack Valley Superintendents who will draft, as one of my colleagues wrote, “expectations for staff, students, and families, and at the same time minimize the comparisons between districts.”


One of the main reasons why we are not already engaged in “online learning” the way they appear to be in other states is that Massachusetts has issued clear guidance on the equity issues that need to be considered. This involves both concerns within our district and also among other districts in Massachusetts. For example, there are some districts in Massachusetts who do not have access to broadband. There may be students within the district with limited access at home. There are also concerns that any online or virtual learning may be in conflict with the reality that every single student deserves access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Therefore, to date, we have closely followed the DESE recommendations about these being non-school days and providing students access to “opportunities for learning.”


Moving forward we will continue to work closely with our teachers unions and all staff members to ensure that we have clear guidance around expectations and develop the best plan to keep all of our students moving forward while also being mindful of all equity concerns.


Teachers and support staff will continue to reach out to students and you may begin to see more optional group “hangout” sessions for social interactions in the coming days. I hope to have more concrete guidance for teaching and learning by the middle of next week that I will communicate to everyone in our school community.


At this time, I would appreciate it if parents could complete this brief online survey about technology readiness. Classroom teachers may also be reaching out to families to also identify individuals with questions or concerns about internet or device access at home. I also want to remind everyone that many internet providers are providing no cost options and support and relief during this challenging situation.


As always, thank you all so much for all of your support for our students. I’m looking forward to communication next week with our teachers and staff and with our student representatives.


Sincerely yours,


Dr. Daly