Fairfield Schools Will Reopen Full-Time In Early March

FAIRFIELD, CT — In less than two weeks, most Fairfield students will be back in the classroom full-time, school officials announced Wednesday.

“In recent weeks, concerns over student and staff emotional health have grown,” Superintendent Mike Cummings said in a message to parents. “At the same time, the (coronavirus) positivity rate has declined. It is time for us to fully reopen so all students can attend school all day.”

Elementary, early childhood, prekindergarten and Walter Fitzgerald Campus students will make a full return to school March 8. Secondary students will go back full-time March 9, with a remote learning day March 8 to prepare facilities for the transition.

The district’s reopening plan comes after nearly a year of remote and hybrid learning amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and will be discussed by the Board of Education at a meeting 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

The plan includes lunch periods with alternating seats and trifold barriers, and will require students to be less than 6 feet from one another, according to Cummings.

“Our town health department has advised us that these shorter distances are now possible given the reduction in the positivity rates and our current mitigation strategies,” Cummings said. “In all our plans, adults will continue to remain 6 feet from students.”

Fairfield Education Association President Bob Smoler said that while the teachers union supports bringing students back full-time, there are numerous challenges to achieving the quick turnaround outlined by the district.

“There are a million logistics that need to be worked out to make this happen successfully,” he said. “The March 9 timeframe at first blush seems quick when you consider all that has to be done.”

The reopening plan also doesn’t allow enough time for teachers to be fully vaccinated against the virus before returning to a full-time, in-person schedule. Vaccine eligibility for educators is set to begin March 1, and it will not be possible for district instructors to receive the two shots required for a complete vaccination before late March.

“I think all of our preferences would have been for the reopening to take place after teachers had had the opportunity to get both of their vaccines,” Smoler said.

Currently, secondary students in Fairfield are following a hybrid model, and are in the classroom a minimum of two full days per week. Elementary students spend four hours per day at school and another 90 minutes learning remotely. Special education students at the elementary level are back in school full-time.

The district also operates a separate Remote Learning Academy, which will continue through the remainder of the school year, according to Cummings. Elementary students enrolled in the academy can return to in-person learning starting March 8. Fairfield students also have the option for synchronous classroom instruction if needed.

“For many of you this news comes as a relief,” Cummings said of the reopening. “For others, the increased number of students in classrooms and the halls may create anxiety. … As we have done all year, we will continue to follow the health data.”

In recent weeks, percent positivity rates have dropped in Fairfield, down to 1 percent the week of Feb. 12-18, compared to 4.61 percent Jan. 15-21, according to town data. As of Tuesday, 16 district students and three staff members had recently tested positive for the coronavirus, while another 82 students and 12 staffers were in quarantine, according to Fairfield Public Schools.