No Remote Wednesdays: Fairfield Schools Planning Schedule Changes

FAIRFIELD, CT — Remote learning Wednesdays will soon be a thing of the past for Fairfield students, according to the superintendent.

The school district is in the process of developing cohort and schedule changes, including doing away with remote Wednesdays for secondary students and increasing in-school instruction for elementary learners, Superintendent Mike Cummings said in a message, which was shared Monday on Facebook by Board of Education Secretary Jessica Gerber.

“Our goal is a plan that will allow us to move flexibly between models in response to ever-changing health data and guidance,” Cummings said, referencing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “We want to increase student-teacher contact time, continue to improve student engagement and remote learning capabilities, as well as provide ongoing professional learning and support.”

The school board was set to hear a presentation on the schedule changes at a special meeting Monday, but after the district received numerous suggestions and concerns about the plan, the meeting was canceled. Instead, the board will review the changes at its meeting Dec. 8.

Also Monday, the district reported 17 new coronavirus cases among community members at nine schools, including four cases at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, three at Fairfield Warde High School, three at Roger Ludlowe Middle School and two at Burr Elementary School. As of Monday, 32 students and staff members had the virus district wide, while 217 school district community members were in quarantine.