Fairfield Rally For Full-Time School Reopening Postponed

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield parents will postpone a rally originally set to be held Thursday in support of fully reopening schools. The delay came after school officials Wednesday announced a reopening plan following months of hybrid learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Show support for a full-time option for the students of Fairfield,” a flier for the event said. “Make your voices heard.”

The rally had been scheduled to take place 4:30 p.m. outside the Fairfield Public Schools Central Office, 501 Kings Highway East, ahead of a Board of Education teleconference meeting set for 7:30 p.m., during which the school district’s timeline for a full reopening will be presented. In a message Wednesday to parents, the school district detailed plans to bring students back to school full-time March 8 and March 9.

Parents held a similar rally in November, gathering at Sherman Green to demand a more detailed reopening plan. Other previous efforts in favor of full-time classroom learning included a letter signed by more than 300 families and a petition bearing almost 800 names.

At the same time many are pushing to reopen schools, another group of parents wants to ensure a remote learning option will remain in place when the fall semester starts. A petition seeking a learning alternative for students who are immunocompromised or have medically vulnerable family members has received over 160 signatures.

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, while secondary-age students in special education will have the option to return to the classroom full-time March 8, according to Director of Communications Andrea Clark.

The push for a full classroom return comes at a time when percent positivity rates are dropping 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.

State officials recently announced they hope all teachers and other qualified school staff will receive a first dose of the virus vaccine within a month. The town health department plans to host an additional vaccine clinic to accommodate educators after they become eligible for vaccination March 1, according to First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick.