CT School Reopening: Districts Have Ultimate Say

CONNECTICUT — State officials will now give school district officials the option of starting with a hybrid in-person and distance learning plan. School officials from some of the state’s largest districts expressed concerns about starting with a full reopening in crowded high schools.

“Districts are going to have the opportunity to ultimately decide what plan works for them,” said state Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona.

Parents will always have the option to have their children do remote learning regardless of what a school district plans.

Recent state surveys found that 76 percent of parents expect their children to go back to in-person classes at the start of the school year. Around 81 percent of teachers plan to teach in-person.

Only 54 percent of parents said they plan to allow their children to ride the school bus.

The state has purchased 50,000 Chromebooks for students who want to do remote learning, Gov. Ned Lamont said. That is on top of the 60,000 laptops that were purchased through the now-defunct Partnership for Connecticut.

Right now the metrics support a full reopening for the majority of school districts, especially at the elementary school level, Cardona said.

Local school districts were required to submit three reopening plans to the state last week. The plans needed to be a for a full reopening, a hybrid plan and a full remote option.

Gov. Ned Lamont said that he recognized some schools are in unique position and they will need flexibility with their plans.

Some districts may want to start with a hybrid plan and work toward a full reopening, Cardona said.

The notion that the state was mandating all districts stick to the same reopening level was a misimpression, Lamont said.

The governor is hoping that students will be able to take advantage of in-person learning as long as possible so long as the health situation warrants it, though it may only be for two or three months.

New Canaan Superintendent Brian Luizzi said that his district has found students in summer school didn’t have issues wearing masks for long periods of time and the worry over mask use was mainly adult-centered. Still, providing opportunities for mask breaks helps students and staff get through the day.

His district is also looking at outdoor tents and courtyards for some classes.

Some school districts are dealing with an increase in student enrollment due to an influx of people moving to Connecticut. Luizzi said New Canaan has had to bring in additional elementary school staff over the past few days to the increase. Officials in his district typically meet once a week during the summer to assess the enrollment situation, but the influx has forced them to meet every couple of days instead.

See also: Here’s Why You’re All Of A Sudden Paying, In Some Cases, A Lot More For Electricity

• Local Moms Petition Against Full In-Class School Attendance