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Guilford Schools Announce Postponement of Concerts, Address Staffing as Reopening Looms

As teachers and staff return to school this week and with students scheduled to set foot in buildings Thursday, Sept. 10, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman provided another series of updates on changes, compromises, and policies related to the reopening, as well as the schools’ plans of increased equity in teaching and curriculum.

Cohort assignments were released Aug. 30, according to Freeman, which means parents now know whether their students will be in-person on Monday and Tuesday or on Thursday and Friday during the hybrid phase of the reopening.

Teachers and staff will have seven full days of training and professional development ahead of classes beginning again, which Freeman emphasized as “enormously important” for the social/emotional health of adults in the building after the long absence.

Freeman also announced a decision on music instruction and programs, saying the schools will be able to “maintain music instruction as it has looked in the past, at least foundationally,” though there will be no concerts or performances offered to the community.

That decision was not set in stone, according to Freeman, and might be reassessed later in the school year if guidance changes.

On the subjects of diversity and equity, Freeman spoke more about the curriculum audit seeking to add more topics, particularly in social studies.

The schools are also collaborating with the Anti-Defamation League and the Akomawt Educational Initiative, which works to expand knowledge of indigenous people’s history and issues, according to Freeman. High school staff will also start the year with an training on how to support transgender and non-binary students, he said.

Additionally, Freeman said that the schools will plan to have conversations next budget cycle about hiring an ombudsman, a position that would exist to “make themselves available to any member of this school community that feels they have been treated unfairly or inequitably because of the way they identify or because of a group with which they affiliate.”

Justice and equity work was not being put off until after the pandemic, Freeman emphasized, and said the district was “rolling up our sleeves” to address these issues

On the academic side, Freeman reaffirmed that the schools would not begin the year by attempting to “remediate” lessons or content that was missed due to the spring closure.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Annie Crystal clarified that there were many negative side effects stemming from teachers trying to stay back or catch students up, and that instead schools would assess and address unlearned skills “in real time.”

High school students will have a smaller selection of elective classes, Freeman also confirmed, and there would be fewer seats in AP courses.

“This year will have compromises,” he said. “And this year will include disappointments...I just want the community to know that we know, and we mourn those losses as much as anybody. But we are focusing on a day when we will be able to rebuild all of those components into our program again.”

Staffing, which has been a deep concern for many districts across the state, is not a major issue or crisis at Guilford right now, Freeman said, but said there was still a potential for delays in offering ancillary courses like music or opportunities to visit media centers if certain positions weren’t filled at the beginning of the year.

“We are hopeful that none of that is necessary,” Freeman said. “We’re continuing to work as fast as we can.”

Most families had still not received teacher assignments or class schedules as of the beginning of the week, Freeman said, but he was “very confident” that these assignments would remain the same once they were released, with no major shakeups or changes, though he cautioned there was no way to entirely rule out the possibility of some shuffling once the school year starts.

The district continues to hire some positions, and is particularly looking for substitute teachers, according to Freeman.