Dear Canton Families and Staff,

I write to you today to wish you well and to provide an update on where we stand with the remainder of the school year. At Governor Baker’s Press Conference on April 21, he announced that schools will not reopen this spring. Instead, we will continue with remote learning and our last day of school is June 23. Also at the Press Conference, the Commissioner of Education said that he will be distributing further guidance for the remaining months of school. I received Commissioner Riley’s documents Friday, April 24, with the statement that he would be distributing a letter to families. The Commissioner’s letter is coming to you soon.

Reviewing the Commissioner’s document, I was reassured that we are on the right path. Our top priority continues to be the well-being of our students and maintaining a strong connection between students and their teachers. Educators across the district and across their CPS roles are using virtual tools to stay connected to students and to provide feedback to all students and to their parents and guardians. Educators continue implementing various remote learning strategies to advance student learning. The Commissioner’s guidelines will help teachers and administrators to determine the specific content standards for remote learning through the remainder of the year.

The summer and our return to school in September, or whenever the Governor deems it safe, will be different in many ways. We are preplanning by imagining lots of different possibilities as we await the Governor’s next order on reopening schools. I will continue to work with the staff, their unions, the Canton School Committee and other Town leaders as the future of schools reopening becomes clear. In the meantime, please contact your child’s teacher and/or principal if you have any questions.

I miss my colleagues and I miss our students! Please, continue to adhere to all the safety recommendations in order to create the conditions necessary for our safe return.

Stay strong,

Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools