We, the undersigned residents of East Greenwich School District, formally request that the EGSD School Committee develop and publicly declare the objective metrics (e.g., local new case numbers, test positivity rates, CDC guidelines, or other criteria) that it intends to use in determining when the various procedures, implemented in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, may safely and practically be relaxed and public school instruction in this district may begin to return to normal.  

At the beginning of the pandemic little was known about the COVID-19 virus.  However, a great deal of additional data and research has become available since the current education practices were established September 2020.  While the timing of future changes to the current practices may not yet be known or even knowable, the Committee should nevertheless be able to declare the objective metrics that, if and when achieved, would allow less extreme precautionary measures.  A clear understanding of the Committee’s stance on these matters allows parents, the community and the district to rationally plan for an eventual return to normal and, in the meantime, to have an informed debate about the best ways to create a safe, educational, and emotionally beneficial environment for all EGSD students.  

Specifically, we ask the Committee to declare all of the objective metrics that it believes must be satisfied before each of the following changes could be safely made:

1. Elimination of asynchronous Monday learning days and return to 5 days of instruction either in-person or by distance learning.
2. Offer 5 days of in-person instruction for families that choose to participate.  
3. Allow all extra-curricular activities to occur in-person, including music, drama, academic clubs, and social events, in addition to sports.
4. Only offer 5 day in-person instruction.  

By identifying the objective metrics for each of these changes to the current educational procedures, we are asking the Committee, in collaboration with parents, teachers, and our schools’ entire administrative team, to lead the community during this season of uncertainty.  

A published response to this petition is required by March 23, 2021.