Working groups to plan for school reopening
Three working groups will be formed to plan for a safe reopening of Delaware school buildings, the Governor’s Office announced May 18.
Gov. John Carney and Secretary of Education Susan Bunting announced the COVID-19 School Reopening Working Groups will advise Delaware Department of Education, Delaware school districts and charter schools ways to safely and effectively reopen Delaware school buildings.
Last month, Carney closed Delaware public school buildings for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to the threat of COVID-19.
A Health and Wellness group will be co-chaired by Mike Rodriguez, associate secretary, DOE, and Dr. Meghan Walls, pediatric psychologist, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children; an Academics and Equity group will be co-chaired by Monica Gant, associate secretary, DOE, and Ashley Giska, assistant superintendent, Laurel School District; and an Operations and Services group with be co-chaired by Chuck Longfellow, associate secretary, DOE, and Oliver Gumbs, director of business operations, Cape Henlopen School District.
The working groups will provide recommendations to Bunting and school and district leaders on how to safely return to school, Carney said. “I am pleased with the expertise these members bring to this important effort and look forward to their guidance on the key issues that Delaware’s superintendents and charter school leaders must consider before re-opening their buildings.”
“We’re asking each working group to help the department develop a framework of essential actions that school district and charter school leaders should take to effectuate a safe return to school,” Bunting said. “These working groups also will help us reach out to our communities so that the ideas and concerns of Delawareans ground our work. These meetings will be open to the public, and I encourage participation across our state.”
The working groups, which include student representation and members of the General Assembly, will make final recommendations to DOE in July. The working groups will continue to meet through September 2020, or an alternate time period as set by Bunting. DOE will provide the groups with staffing support .
