Greater Lawrence Technical School Committee is phasing in more in-person career and technical education learning beginning Monday.
Superintendent John Lavoie said the School Committee approved allowing juniors and seniors, who choose to opt into in-person learning, to return every other week for their career and technical classes beginning March 29. They will continue to attend class remotely during their academic weeks.
“Hands-on instruction, projects and group work are core parts of career and technical education, and we’re very thankful to be in a place where we can begin making the shift to bring in more students for in-person learning,” Lavoie said. “However, our communities have been among the hardest it, if not the hardest hit, by this pandemic in the Commonwealth. As we take this next step, we affirm to our students, staff and families that we’re committed to both the education of our Reggies, and to the health and wellbeing of the entire GLTS community.”
Sophomores return on Monday, April 12. Half of their week will be in-person learning for vocational classes and half will be remote for academics.
Freshmen students returned to in-person career and technical learning Feb. 22. At the time, 63% of the class of 2024 began in-person learning. Since then, an additional 24 freshmen opted in. They also take courses in-person for half of the school week while attending academic classes remotely for the remainder of the week.
While in the building, all students and staff will continue to be required to follow the district’s COVID-19 prevention protocols, including mask wearing, maintaining a physical distance of six feet from others, regular hand washing and sanitizing and staying home when ill. Shops have also tailored specific protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of students and staff while in the building.
Greater Lawrence Technical School will revise bus schedules to accommodate the new transitions.