Emotions High Amid Uncertainty Of Fairfield School Reopening

FAIRFIELD, CT — Emotions ran high Tuesday as Fairfield parents addressed the School Board for the first time in months at a public hearing held days after officials announced elementary students will not return to the classroom full time in November as planned.

The school district’s decision to maintain its hybrid learning model followed Fairfield’s placement in the state’s red-alert zone for coronavirus infections. The Board of Education called a special meeting Tuesday for members of the public to give feedback via teleconference — the first opportunity for spoken public comment community members have had since the pandemic reached Connecticut in March.

Some residents expressed concern that students’ mental, emotional and learning needs were not being met. Others questioned why Fairfield schools hadn’t fully reopened when other nearby districts had. Still more lauded officials for their transparency, consideration of risks and decision to continue using the hybrid model.

“I feel we’re going in circles and not moving the ball forward,” said Kristen Frame, who added two of her children are falling behind in school.

Amy Ruggiero urged the district to begin its full reopening Nov. 9 as planned, if the data improves.

“We are not keeping up with the other towns,” she said, adding many private schools are also teaching students in classrooms full time.

Ruggiero noted there are ramifications for children’s mental health and parents’ ability to work — points Thomas French also touched on.

“Parents are breaking down, the children are being harmed mentally and it’s your fault,” he said to the board.

French referenced recent data from the district that showed 88 percent of elementary parents would choose full-time classroom learning over the district’s remote learning academy or remote synchronous learning. Additionally, French discussed a message Tuesday from Superintendent Mike Cummings that explained the data trends that drove the district to delay its full-time reopening plan.

“Stop sending out data and charts about why you can’t do that, and start sending out ways that you are going to do that,” French said.

In the message, Cummings clarified that the state recently instructed school districts to consider 14-day data windows instead of one-week windows, and to include town-specific data when making learning model decisions, as opposed to the previously required county data.

Several residents Tuesday commended officials for their transparency.

“This district and board are fully transparent and accountable,” Ann Harvey said. "Public health and science are guiding our professionals.”

The red-alert designation Fairfield received last week applies to municipalities that have a two-week average daily coronavirus case rate above 15 per 100,000 people. Fairfield's rate was 19.6 Oct. 4 to Oct. 17, according to state data. The number was mainly attributed to the recent outbreak at Fairfield University. The state encourages schools in towns with an average daily case count above 25 per 100,000 people to consider switching to distance learning.

In its regular meeting after Tuesday’s hearing, officials clarified there is no one metric or checklist of data points that will clear schools to fully reopen.

“I don’t think there’s a universal green light, as it were,” said Cummings, who cited the need for a decreasing trend that demonstrates the spread of the virus is under control.

Officials also Tuesday debunked a rumor spread on social media that 200 teachers in August chose not to return to work, forcing the district to find replacements and pay both parties. Five district teachers are on long-term leave due to the coronavirus, according to Executive Director of Personnel and Legal Services Colleen Deasy, who added many instructors had been out for shorter periods to quarantine.

The district does have some staffing concerns, such as a higher number than usual of mid-year resignations and retirements and a substitute shortage, according to Deasy. Fairfield schools can staff a return to full-time classroom learning, she said, although Cummings in his message said that staff leave requests increased with the announcement of the full reopening.

“The staff is very nervous about it, but ready and willing to make it work when the time comes,” Deasy said.