Somers School Officials Set Date For Full-Time Elementary Return

SOMERS, CT — School officials have announced a plan to resume full in-person classes at Somers Elementary School, effective Oct. 19, though the high school and middle school will remain in the current hybrid mode.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Czapla sent a letter to the school community Wednesday announcing the switch. He said the cohorting set-up currently in place at the elementary school "is one of the leading mitigation strategies" during the coronavirus pandemic.

Czapla admitted, "Optimal social distancing may not be achievable in every class. Therefore, we must continue wearing masks, sanitizing hands and facilities, staying home when not feeling well, and adhering to other mitigation strategies at school and home."

Remote learning will remain available to families, Czapla said.

Here is the entire letter from the superintendent:

Dear Staff and Families, I am sending this message out to inform you of a change in our current hybrid instructional model at the elementary school. Effective Monday, October 19, 2020, we will switch to full in-person learning at the Somers Elementary School. Of course, this date may change if circumstances warrant it.
This entire year has been one of balancing safety and sound instructional practices. While there are many guidelines and protocols, the perfect balance is allusive. Our decisions are based on many different factors, and at this time, we believe transitioning some of our students back into school fulltime is appropriate.
We will continue adhering to the safeguards put in place to the greatest extent possible. However, as we bring back the entire elementary school, optimal social distancing may not be achievable in every class. Therefore, we must continue wearing masks, sanitizing hands and facilities, staying home when not feeling well, and adhering to other mitigation strategies at school and home.
Cohorting is one of the leading mitigation strategies. This is in place at the elementary school, which is why we believe we can come back in-full.
Remote learning will still be available for families. We will be sending out updated information on remote and full in-person learning to SES families on Thursday. We will also be asking SES parents to update their learning model preference for their children at the elementary school (in-person or full-remote). This will help us make the necessary preparations for the October 19 transition.
At this time, the middle school and high school will remain in the current hybrid learning mode. To date, this has been successful in mitigating transmission and is working well for most students. We will continue to monitor the situation locally and re-evaluate these two schools at the beginning of November.
Once again, thank you for your patience, understanding, and support. This school year is a challenge, unlike anything we have ever faced. We will continue to monitor many different factors and make decisions accordingly. This year more than any other, change is inevitable.
Thank you.
Brian P. Czapla

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