Dr. Michael Doyle
BY DR. MICHAEL DOYLE
“School’s out for summer.”
Legendary rock star Alice Cooper started singing about the end of the school year back in 1972. For almost 50 years we have all heard that anthem in June, which brings us to the current state of public school education.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, what will happen in the fall of 2020? What will education look like in the future? Will we return to face-to-face instruction, remote learning, or a combination of both? Will school be out not just in the summer but beyond?
The challenges that await all are rather large and present opportunity, focus, and being prepared for whatever happens in the fall of 2020.
Trenton Public Schools employees and other stakeholders are working in teams to best determine, plan, and prepare for the 2020/2021 school year. The district has been reviewing collected survey results to help prepare for the fall. The teams are using this survey data to move forward with decisions that will happen to all of us as we continue to deal with COVID-19.
One possibility is returning to school with face-to-face instruction. Another would be a hybrid situation and the third possibility is that schools return to remote learning.
The 2019-2020 school year certainly was a memorable one for all. Students, staff, and parents all had to make huge adjustments in daily life to continue with both work and education. The struggles, adjustment and creative thinking will only make all of us stronger.
The district, students, staff, and parents all dealt with much adversity that will only pay off in the future. The district dealt with the closing of the school and had to quickly adopt a remote learning plan. Students at all grade levels missed out on many of the traditional end-year activities but all the buildings throughout the district found ways to help students continue learning activities and enjoy unique and creative ways to celebrate the end of school.
Student and staff health and safety is always number one when it comes to the priorities of a school. You can be certain the district always places health and safety at the top of any list as we deal with COVID-19.
By working together, the schools and the community will strive to be successful. The bottom line with COVID-19 is that no one has any exact answers as there is no magical crystal ball to predict the future. What will school look like in the future? That is the question that cannot be answered at this point. We do know that schooling has changed and will change further.
Having said all that, the only one that knows for certain what will happen is the virus. The only one who sets the timelines for change is the virus. The only one that will determine what happens with schools is the virus. But by working together, we will be successful at adapting to those changes.
Dr. Michael Doyle is community liaison director for Trenton Public Schools.