The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee approved a return-to-school agreement with the District's teachers union this week. The new plan calls for more in-person learning than originally proposed last month.

The original plan was for elementary and middle schools to be in-person learning two days a week, and high school to be in-person just one day.

Now, all students will start the school year on Wednesday, September 16 with two weeks of remote learning.

Then, beginning October 2, grades K through 6 will be in-person four days a week, with half attending in the morning, and half in the afternoon before transitioning to four full days of in-person learning the first week of November.

Grades 7 through 12 meanwhile will be in-person two days a week starting October 2 with half in-building Monday and Tuesday, and the other half Thursday and Friday.

The agreement also outlines the coronavirus testing metrics the district will use switch to fully remote learning.

Interim Superintendent Robert Putnam said, "Test positivity rates of three percent or greater in Berkshire. If that metric is surpassed then of course that would trigger remote education. Test positivity rates of three percent or greater in the combined member towns would also trigger remote."

For students opting for fully remote learning, separate online classes will be available and will be taught by teachers already employed by the District.

Putnam says everyone will have to adjust to this new way of learning on the fly and changes may have to be made to help everything run more smoothly.

Putnam said, "Things are going to go, and they will improve with each day. I think that the challenge that we've got here is that we don't know precisely how kids are going to react."