HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The first students will have to wait at least two weeks later than originally planned to walk into their respective public schools, with the Guam Department of Education announcing it has pushed back the scheduled opening date from Aug. 9 to Aug. 23.
As of Wednesday, it was unclear what effect the delayed opening date will have on the three-phase plan to stagger in-person instruction in the public school system.
“The political process is not yet able to provide any answers to how we are open and remain within the law,” GDOE Superintendent Kenneth Swanson said at a Guam Education Board meeting Tuesday, before recommending the delayed start date.
“The attorney general sees online learning as a violation of the Organic Act, and we cannot open without (a sanitary) permit.”
Board members clarified that the decision didn’t need approval from the school board, as it was an operational, not policy matter.
Delaying the opening of the first set of campuses will allow more schools to get up to code, Swanson said. He told board members the Department of Public Health and Social Services has been able to increase its inspections to three schools each week, instead of just one.
“I propose asking (Speaker Therese Terlaje) and Public Health to grant conditional permission to open all the remainder of our (schools while) inspections are conducted. This will allow us to continue to make repairs while coming into compliance,” Swanson said.
Angel Sablan, an elected school board member, was concerned whether the delay would result in more schools being opened, considering local law now requires all schools to have a valid sanitary permit – a result of a successful health inspection – to allow students on campus for in-person instruction.
“All I’m asking is if you’re moving it to (Aug. 23), how many more schools are we going to open besides those that are scheduled on (Aug. 9) or two weeks after that? Are we looking at all of the 41 (public) schools? Half? Because … everything is dependent on Public Health,” Sablan said. “Even if we wanted to move it through to the 23rd, if we don’t get the schools inspected, if we don’t get their sanitary permits issued, we will not be able to open.”
According to Swanson, Untalan Middle School, currently being inspected, is poised to pass in time for the Aug. 23 opening date.
Deputy Superintendent Erika Cruz later added that GDOE aims to have one elementary, middle and high school each be inspected every week to help with plans to host double sessions with another campus or among its own population.
No furloughs
How this strategy will change the three-phase opening plan, in which schools included in the final phase wouldn’t open for in-person classes until at least November, however, was not detailed during the meeting.
The plan, released during meetings with stakeholders, anticipated up to 24 schools wouldn’t be ready to open by Aug. 9.
At least one campus, John F. Kennedy High School, while included in the list of schools slated to welcome students by Aug. 9, has yet to officially pass its inspection. Board members said one of the safety demerits preventing it from making the grade was classroom doors opening inward instead of outward.
Michelle Franquez, GDOE interim spokesperson, previously told The Guam Daily Post that implementing online instruction for many students seemed “unavoidable,” given the anticipated health inspection schedule.
“Even if a school may look ready or functional, schools will need to pass inspection with the new regulations, which are much higher standards than in all previous years,” she said. “So, yes, as the days go by, online instruction seems the most likely option for most of our schools.”
A request for clarification to GDOE on how the announced delay would affect the phased-in approach wasn’t responded to as of press time Wednesday.
But school officials were clear that public school employees aren’t expected to be furloughed or otherwise lose pay as a result of the delay. Employees still are set to report to work on Aug. 4, and will be undergoing professional development training until instruction begins Aug. 23.
Guam Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Joseph Sanchez, right, testifies during an oversight hearing July 18, 2023, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña. Seated to his left is Superintendent Kenneth Swanson. GDOE announced Wednesday that it has pushed back the first day of public school classes to Aug. 29.
