Dear NAPS School Community, 

I hope that this letter finds you and your family healthy and well. As the 2019-20 school year and remote learning winds down, we have already begun planning internally and with town officials for reopening next year.

At this time we are awaiting information from the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) regarding guidance for the fall reopening of schools. We believe that this will be very structured guidance from DESE that outlines the expectations for the school environment, teaching and learning, operations, technology, food services and social-emotional learning.

DESE has recently released guidance documents that have been featured in many news reports. This initial guidance is important for reopening schools for summer programming based on the public health guidelines in place now, and we are looking forward to receiving updated guidance for the fall from the Commissioner in the near future.

I know that students, parents/guardians, and staff have many questions about a return to school. As a result, we are proactively creating groups that will represent all sectors of our community to help develop our plans. We will be seeking active parent participation. I am meeting with the PTO Presidents tomorrow, and communication will follow regarding parent participation.

You can also help us by providing feedback on your child’s remote learning experience through a survey that will be emailed to you in the next few days.

Like so many other school districts, we are faced with many challenges as we plan to safely reopen the North Andover Public Schools for the 2020-21 school year. Our goal is to use survey information, teacher feedback and input, along with information from our working groups and district leadership team, to advise town and school leadership on the best way to reopen schools safely in the fall.

Ultimately, we want to provide the best educational experience for all of our students, and I appreciate your continued support as we work toward providing a safe environment for our students and employees.

In good health!



Dr. Gregg T. Gilligan, Superintendent