MARLBORO — Marlboro School's 107 children will receive a combination of in-person and remote instruction until at least Oct. 1.
The Marlboro School Board decided Thursday night that having students in school four days a week is not advisable until a full analysis of the building's ventilation system is conducted.
The students will begin the year with "a limited hybrid model," according to a motion passed by the Board.
"The reason for this vote is to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community as we give a construction team the necessary amount of time to upgrade and then re-check the HVAC systems in the Marlboro School building," states a notice to parents posted to the Marlboro, VT Community Facebook Group. "This HVAC issue is not solely Marlboro's issue but one all [Vermont] schools are addressing and investigating. While each HVAC system is different in every school, each presents its own challenges and timelines for upgrades. Marlboro's timeline appears to be one that sees a fix by early October."
A report can be found at marlboroschool.net.
Chris Medina, facilities manager for Windham Central Supervisory Union, told the Board that the school's ventilation system needs to be reviewed to determine air flow, how many times air is exchanged in the classrooms and whether the air is being filtered in accordance with guidelines established by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Windham Central is also following the guidelines issued by the Vermont Agency of Education, issued in its Strong and Healthy Start for the 2020 school year.
Medina said the first step is to get all the systems up and running and then to have an HVAC contractor come in and evaluate if Marlboro School's ventilation meets the guidelines. Once the system has been reviewed, the contractor can make any repairs or upgrades to the system as necessary. This process could take up to three weeks, he said.
Board members asked why the system review hasn't been conducted yet.
Superintendent Bill Anton fielded this question, saying Windham Central Supervisory Union staff has been working since the end of June, reviewing the guidance issued by the state and determining how best to move forward into the school year.
"We were doing everything at once," including building up personal protective equipment stores, working on instruction options, hiring new personnel and working with the Agency of Education and Efficiency Vermont, Anton said. "I absolutely understand your frustration. We did the best we could in the time frame we had of all the things we were looking at."
He said the supervisory union had to interpret the guidance and work with Efficiency Vermont first and then schedule a review of the system with an HVAC contractor.
"We don't know what work we have to do to make us in compliance with ASHRAE standards," said Anton, noting HVAC contractors all over the state have their hands full working on the problem.
At the beginning of the Board meeting, Anton said the supervisory union recommends remote learning until the review can be concluded. He said the decision was not easy, especially considering parents that say they need the schools to open so they can go back to work.
Principal Wayne Kermenski said because the building's ventilation is so old, he doubts it can meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards.
Kermenski said while he had been pushing for in-person education to rebuild relationships with the students, his concerns for their health and the health of staff and faculty had him rethinking his position.
"Would you enter a hospital you knew had poor air quality?" he asked. "You probably wouldn't. The same thing goes for schools during a pandemic."
An option for in-school instruction is to hold classes in an outdoor setting, Kermenski said, but he noted there are challenges, including excessive road noise from Route 9. "And it only works when it's nice weather," he said.
But, Kermenski said, he was confident that he, the teachers and staff could come up with a plan that includes remote learning support and outdoor learning at the school or elsewhere in Marlboro until the building's HVAC system has been evaluated and made ready for full occupancy.
Another option would be to convert a school bus into a classroom that could visit students, especially those who don't have reliable internet access.
Anton also noted that the state is setting up 73 child care hubs for parents who have to return to work. He noted there is no guarantee that Marlboro will be one of those hubs and those families might have to send their kids to Brattleboro. There will be some cost to parents, Anton said, though families of four making less than $77,000 a year will be eligible for subsidies. Those hubs will also have to conform to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards, Anton said.
Board members also expressed concern that the funding they receive from the state might be reduced due to parents taking their children out of the system for homeschooling. Anton said the Legislature is working on a "hold harmless" plan that will maintain funding, at least until the pandemic is declared officially over.
The Marlboro School Board and the administration is also asking families to quarantine themselves "as best as they can" for the two weeks prior to the start of school.
"All of our staff will be doing this, as well," states a message posted to the school's website. "We understand that there are situations where people need to work, etc., and ask that if you truly cannot prevent contact with people outside of your household, to please strictly follow precautions which include mask wearing, distancing yourself six feet away from others and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer frequently. If your children have not had a lot of experience doing this, it will be good practice for when they are back in school and will be expected to follow these same precautions."
During the meeting, School Board Chairman Douglas Korb asked the members of the board to approve a letter to send to Democracy Builders, which recently purchased the Marlboro College campus. Seth Andrew, the founder of Democracy Builders, had mentioned at previous meetings with the community that his organization was open to allowing Marlboro Elementary to move from its Route 9 location to the campus on Potash Hill.
"The Marlboro School Board wishes to thank you for showing us around the college campus and for your generous offer of a one-year lease on the Art Quad," states the letter. "[A]fter viewing the Quad with Wayne [Kermenski] and our architectural consultant, we determined that it is simply too small and the possibilities for expansion (for parking, playgrounds, etc.) are too limited to accommodate our needs. Because of these limitations we concluded that it does not make sense, unfortunately, to move our Elementary School to that section of campus. The timeline was also a factor in our decision: trying to get any major renovations done before school opened this fall seemed impossible. But we want to formally thank you for the offer, and we appreciate your time and willingness to explore this option."
In the letter, the Board also noted it was extending "a warm welcome to your children and any and all children whose families are part of Democracy Builders; we look forward to having these new students in our community, and look forward to meeting them and their families."
Bob Audette can be contacted at raudette@reformer.com.
