In a press release Wednesday, Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) announced its decision to begin a phased return to in-person instruction, with Kindergarten students returning first, beginning March 9.
Additional grade levels will be transitioned back to in-person on a weekly basis, while virtual learning will remain an option for all students who wish to continue learning from home.
The current schedule for returning grade levels includes:
March 9: Kindergarten
March 16: Grades 1-2
March 23: 4K
Schedules for return of other grade levels and co-curricular activities will be determined in the coming weeks.
Additionally, virtual asynchronous days, previously held on Wednesdays, will move to Mondays for all K-12 students (whether receiving instruction virtually or in-person) beginning March 8.
On January 8, MMSD announced a virtual start to the 3rd Quarter, while foreshadowing the possibility of implementing a phased return to in-person learning if COVID-19 conditions improved. The decision comes after analysis of guidance provided by local public health experts as well as recent positive trends in COVID-19 metrics from Public Health Madison & Dane County (PMMDC) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which support a safe, phased return to school buildings, according to the press release.
“When our first student walks through our doors on March 9, it will be almost a year since we closed in March 2020,” Superintendent Carlton D. Jenkins said in a statement. “As a school community, we have come a long way, and remain committed to providing the safest learning spaces possible by continuing to adhere to our safety protocols; and implementing multiple layers of prevention and mitigation measures specifically developed to keep students and staff safe.”
Next week, MMSD will provide its families an opportunity to indicate their intentions on whether their student(s) will be returning to in-person instruction or remain learning in an all-virtual model. The information from the survey will be used for the district to better plan and prepare for the reopening of schools.
