Letter: Teacher Writes To Lamont On Schools And 'Safe' Capacity

VERNON, CT — Area teacher Noah Bilmes, of Vernon, recently penned a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont regarding the proposed reopening of public schools.

Here is the transcript, shared with Patch:

Dear Governor Lamont,

I am one of the many thousands of public school teachers in Connecticut wondering about your push to open our schools at 100 percent capacity. It's not that we don't want to teach our students like we were doing last fall, it's that we would like to see the 100 percent capacity model tried out elsewhere before we are used as a guinea pig environment.

Outdoor venues with fresh air aplenty such as amusement parks and race tracks have been allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. Indoor amusement sites like movie theaters with spacious luxury seating and lots of distance between rows can be at 50 percent capacity. Restaurants are set to serve diners at 50 percent capacity as well. Indoor private gatherings are limited to 25 people.

Sir, my single indoor classroom with poor ventilation is slated to hold 20 elementary students this Fall. My classroom's square footage is 600 square feet. According to information on CT.gov, the maximum capacity for an indoor business based is based on the formula of 1 person/150 sq. feet.

Mr. Lamont, my classroom legally only has room for 4 students, yet I am being asked to teach 20 students. You want us to work in an environment that is over 500 times more crowded than allowed legally when you factor in my presence, and the presence of other staff members in the building like tutors, ELL and SPED teachers.

People are done at restaurants and movie theaters in about two hours. Then they leave. School lasts about seven hours. My school has no air-conditioning in classrooms. Have you ever worn a mask in a room that gets up to 88 degrees on warm days crowded with 20 other bodies? The majority of elementary school children do not have the ability to keep their mask on all the time in that setting. Most of us wouldn't.

Mr. Lamont, please reconsider your push for 100 percent of students being back at school full-time. We will happily go back when it is safe to do so, but that time has not yet arrived, and likely won't arrive until a vaccine is available. Until our government leaders and educational leaders are willing to go back to work full-capacity in air-conditioned buildings with in-person meetings attended by large numbers of people for many hours on end, it is rampantly hypocritical to start schools at full capacity.

Protect the lives of our states' students, their families, and the professionals that work in schools. Mandate a commitment to ensuring that hybrid models with reduced capacity are the ones being implemented, or ensuring that high-quality DLP learning is given.

Thank you,
Noah Bilmes
Public School Teacher since 1994