Fairfield RLA Won't Be Back In Fall; Families Face Tough Choices

FAIRFIELD, CT — As coronavirus case rates decline, vaccines are administered by the thousands and freezing temperatures slowly begin to rise, a winter dominated by the virus appears to be starting to thaw.

But for parents of immunocompromised children, the road to a post-pandemic life remains fraught with uncertainty. And for some Fairfield families, broader concerns about when the world will be safe again are exacerbated by the knowledge that the school district’s Remote Learning Academy won’t be back next school year.

“If there’s no vaccination for kids, our situation doesn’t change,” said Fairfield parent Christina DeGennaro, whose elementary-aged twins are enrolled in the academy. “I have zero idea what I’m going to do for my daughters.”

Vaccine testing in children has begun, but the vaccine is not available to anyone under age 16 in Connecticut. A pediatric vaccine is estimated to be available in late 2021, according to Dr. Juan Salazar of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

In addition to the twins, DeGennaro has a middle school-aged son who is medically complex and is placed by the district in a specialized learning program. He attends the program remotely and will continue to do so in the coming school year if a vaccine isn’t available by then.

DeGennaro said her son’s oxygen levels have dropped as low as 80 percent for as little as a common cold. The family has been under strict quarantine for over a year, not even going to the grocery store since last March.

“If I can protect him, I’m going to do absolutely everything I can,” she said.

Suzi Cabase and her elementary-aged son, who has congenital muscular dystrophy, are in a similar situation.

“Even a cold will send him sometimes to the emergency room,” she said, describing the portable oxygen tanks, nebulizer, feeding pump and other equipment the family keeps on hand for emergencies.

During quarantine, Cabase’s son has been enrolled in a general education class in the Remote Learning Academy, and has also participated in a complex learner cohort and meetings with a special education teacher, among other learning and therapy experiences.

The academy was created in mid-2020 to give families a long-term, full-time remote learning option and operates as an independent program with its own principal.

“I always had my doubts about how he would do at home, but it’s just been really great to see how much he’s progressed,” Cabase said, adding that her son — who is nonverbal — has been using his communication device more.

DeGennaro said she also saw her daughters learn and grow in the academy, but that the decision to end the program after the current school year and the inconsistency of special classes like art and music within the academy have been disappointing.

“The kids who are sacrificing the most continue to be asked and forced to sacrifice,” she said. “All they’re doing for our children is the absolute bare minimum.”

There are 550 elementary and middle school students enrolled in the Remote Learning Academy, according to district Director of Communications Andrea Clark. High school students who are fully remote take synchronous classes, logging in online to in-person classes happening live.

“We created the RLA in response to the state mandate that districts offer a remote learning option this school year,” Clark said in an email. “Should the state require that districts continue to offer a remote learning option next year, we will provide synchronous remote instruction K-12.”

The academy included live specials classes for much of the winter, but recently replaced them with asynchronous lessons to accommodate the district’s return to full-time, in-person learning for the majority of students.

“It’s been really hard because my children have sacrificed so much,” DeGennaro said. “Where’s the effort to create stability?”

Hallie Levine shared similar frustrations. Her middle school-aged daughter, Johanna Sklar, has Down syndrome and is learning remotely, as is her elementary-aged son, Geoffrey Sklar, while her older son, Teddy Sklar, a middle schooler, is attending classes in-person.

“The way it was handled was just ridiculous,” Levine said of the recent changes to specials classes. “You can’t treat the kids in the RLA like they’re second-class citizens.”

While Levine plans to send her daughter back to in-person school full-time in April after most school staff are expected to be vaccinated, she supports parents who choose a different approach.

“It’s not unreasonable for parents to want to keep their kids home until they’re able to get the vaccine,” she said. “I don’t think that they’re breaking the budget with the RLA.”

Clark was unable to provide a specific cost for the academy, as she said the district did not separate it from other education expenses. The academy’s parent-teacher association is set to speak Thursday with Superintendent Mike Cummings, she said.

“We have worked with staff all year to create learning environments that recognize and value both in-person and remote learners,” she said in the email. “To our remote families, we see you, we hear you, and we look forward to the time when we can all be back together safely.”

But some parents still worry their families are being forgotten.

“Even though we’re not physically in school, we’re still part of the Fairfield Public Schools community,” Cabase said.