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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont instructed school superintendents to reopen for in-person learning as the academic year nears, though it will have a different look in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
School districts in Connecticut submitted their plans for the fall on Friday, July 24, with mandates requiring face coverings, shorter classes, social distancing, and mandatory hand washing.
The state is requiring districts to submit plans for three levels - low, moderate, high - of COVID-19 risk by Friday.
With Connecticut at low risk as of the July 24 deadline, districts will follow a model that includes students returning to classrooms while offering remote learning for parents who choose to opt-out and keep their children at home.
Some districts have also submitted hybrid learning plans that include a combination of in-person and distance learning, with students potentially going to in-person classes a few times a week on a staggered schedule.
The state has said that school districts have been instructed officials that plans that have students in school for only part of the week under their full in-school instruction scenario are not acceptable.
“Any plan submitted to the Connecticut State Department of Education on July 24, 2020, that does not include a full reopening option as one of the three models, where all public school students have the opportunity to access school in person five days a week, will not be in compliance with current state laws regarding the number of school days,” education officials said.
“Excluding public school students for certain days of the week (for example, having certain grades only attend school on Mondays and Tuesdays, with remote learning the other days) is not appropriate under the first model.”
Some have questioned whether if a hybrid model would be a safer option for students and staff, though Lamont has stated he wants a full return to school in the fall if the metrics continue to support such a measure.
“In order to continue (success in stopping the spread of COVID-19), I believe it is essential that the Department of Education grant school districts with the flexibility they need to plan for a safe reopening in the fall,” Sen. Will Haskell said.
“It is clear to me and many of my constituents that social distancing in secondary schools while at full capacity presents unique challenges, including crowded hallways, students moving between classes, lunch scheduling, and more,” he added. "In that light, I ask that you give local school districts full latitude to make decisions that will keep students and teachers safe.”
The drafts of reopening plans that were submitted to the state on Friday are subject to change as the spread of the virus evolves.
“We do not see this plan as the final plan by any stretch of the imagination,” Anthony Buono, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for the Westport School District said this week.
“(We) see this as a first draft and I think that’s what all of us are seeing it as, and we felt it was important that we got it out as soon as possible so we could begin to get feedback and get suggestions — because that’s what’s going to help us come up with a final plan.”
State law requires a 180-day school year, but earlier this month the state Board of Education gave districts permission to shorten that by three days at the start of the school year to provide more time for preparation.
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