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These Connecticut Schools Awarded Blue Ribbon Status These Connecticut Schools Awarded Blue Ribbon Status
These Connecticut Schools Awarded Blue Ribbon Status Several schools in Connecticut have earned top marks in 2021 by being recognized with National Blue Ribbon status. US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced 325 schools across the country were recognized for their overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among students. In Connecticut, these schools were designated as National Blue Ribbon recipients: Andrew Avenue Elementary School in Naugatuck (New Haven County); Frisbie Elementary School in Wolcott (New Haven County); Northwestern Regional High School in Winsted (Litchfield County); Thames River Magn…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: CT School Goes Remote Amid Surge Of New Infections COVID-19: CT School Goes Remote Amid Surge Of New Infections
Covid-19: CT School Goes Remote Amid Surge Of New Infections A surge in new COVID-19 cases is forcing a Connecticut elementary school to transition to its distance learning model to start the school year. The Hebron School District in Tolland County issued a notice to the community that due to the speed of the spread of the virus within the Gilead Hill School, it will have to go remote. According to district officials, the school will reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Schools Superintendent Thomas Baird said that the number of COVID-19 cases in staff and students is at a similar level of infections during other periods of high tra…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: HS Football Player Dies By Suicide After Leaving Note Saying He Felt Isolated COVID-19: HS Football Player Dies By Suicide After Leaving Note Saying He Felt Isolated
Covid-19: HS Football Player Dies By Suicide After Leaving Note Saying He Felt Isolated A 16-year-old high school football player in New England who died by suicide left behind a note saying he felt isolated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Spencer Smith, of Brunswick, Maine, was having trouble coping with feeling isolated, his father, Jay Smith, told WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine.  Jay Smith started speaking out after Spencer's death on Friday, Dec. 4 so other families know the toll the pandemic is taking on kids. Spencer kept busy during the summer regularly working out in preparation for the football season. But a shift to flag football only meant Spencer, a lineman, wou…

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by Joe Lombardi
Sports
COVID-19: CIAC Postpones Start Of Winter HS Season COVID-19: CIAC Postpones Start Of Winter HS Season
Covid-19: Ciac Postpones Start Of Winter HS Season Interscholastic sports in Connecticut are on hold for at least the next two months as the state continues to see a spike in COVID-19 infections. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Board of Control announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17 that all winter sports have been postponed until at least Jan. 19, 2021, due to the pandemic. Sports including wrestling, competitive cheerleading, and dance are all considered high-risk while sports like basketball, swimming, volleyball, and ice hockey are considered moderate risk. Related story - COVID-19: CIAC Now Decides Fall Sports Conditioning…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: School District In Fairfield County Shifts To Distance Learning Until Next Year COVID-19: School District In Fairfield County Shifts To Distance Learning Until Next Year
Covid-19: School District In Fairfield County Shifts To Distance Learning Until Next Year A spike in COVID-19 cases has forced a Fairfield County school district to transition to its full distance learning model through the end of the year. Interim Shelton Schools Superintendent Beth Smith announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10 that following Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, students will be learning remotely through at least January 2021. Next month, Smith said that the district will confer with health officials to determine the best course of action moving forward. According to Smith, last week, Shelton saw a spike in cases, with a 15.5 percent positivity rate, prompting the state …

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by Zak Failla
News
What's The COVID-19 Rate In My Community? Town Rates And Trends What's The COVID-19 Rate In My Community? Town Rates And Trends
What's The Covid-19 Rate In My Community? Town Rates And Trends COVID-19 infections are congregating in the eastern part of the state where there is a cluster of 13 “red” communities with high daily infection rates, according to Connecticut data that came out Thursday, Oct. 29. Meanwhile, 13 new communities have been added to the state’s list of places with red or high COVID-19 rates: Ansonia, Bridgeport, Cromwell, Ellington, Franklin, Killingly, Middlebury, Middlefield, New Britain, North Canaan, Old Saybrook, Stamford, and Wolcott. On Thursday, there were 30 Connecticut cities and towns “in the red,” a reference to the state’s color-coded map of avera…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Here? Town-By-Town Data On Absent Distance-Learning Students Here? Town-By-Town Data On Absent Distance-Learning Students
Here? Town-By-Town Data On Absent Distance-Learning Students While distance learning appears to be going well in Connecticut, almost 10 percent of Hartford remote-learning students didn’t attend school the week of Sept. 21-25, the most recent information available. Of the 9,839 distance-learning students in the Hartford School District, 978 of them didn’t log in for school the week of Sept. 21, according to the CT Mirror, which has developed a weekly town-by-town look at distance-learning attendance records. The data is pulled from the State Department of Education. Overall, there are about 17,250 students in the Hartford School District. On Tuesday…

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by Kristin Palpini
Schools
COVID-19: Some Students, Staff At Westport School Will Have To Quarantine After Positive Case COVID-19: Some Students, Staff At Westport School Will Have To Quarantine After Positive Case
Covid-19: Some Students, Staff At Westport School Will Have To Quarantine After Positive Case Some students and staffers at a school in Fairfield County where a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 will have to quarantine for two weeks, Thomas Scarice, Westport's Superintendent of Schools announced Friday afternoon, Sept. 11. Coleytown Elementary School in Westport was closed Friday to students and staff after the positive case was confirmed early in the morning. "In working closely with the Westport/Weston Health District and our medical advisor, it has been confirmed that the staff and students have implemented our mitigating measures by maintaining distance to the …

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
COVID-19: Danbury Schools Shift To Remote Learning After City Sees Spike In Cases COVID-19: Danbury Schools Shift To Remote Learning After City Sees Spike In Cases
Covid-19: Danbury Schools Shift To Remote Learning After City Sees Spike In Cases After the spike in COVID-19 cases in Danbury, school officials in the city  announced that the district will begin the academic year remotely. Citing the recent rapid uptick in cases, Danbury Schools Superintendent Sal Pascarella said that local health officials and the Board of Education decided it is safest to continue distance learning through at least September. “Due to these unusual circumstances, I have been consulting closely with the State Commissioner of Education, Mayor Boughton, DPS Administrative Leadership teams, and our local health officials,” Pascarella said. “In order …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CT Teachers Want Continued Distance Learning Over Going Back To Normal COVID-19: CT Teachers Want Continued Distance Learning Over Going Back To Normal
Covid-19: CT Teachers Want Continued Distance Learning Over Going Back To Normal Few Connecticut teachers would be comfortable with returning to normal school hours. Most Connecticut educators are in favor of distance learning in the fall. According to a statewide survey of the Connecticut Education Association, 16 percent of educators would prefer returning to full-time, in-school learning when students go back to school, in some form, in September. Meanwhile, 39 percent of teachers support a hybrid approach to teaching and 46 percent favor continued distance learning. Nearly all teachers want schools to require students to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prev…

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by Kristin Palpini
Schools
COVID-19: CT Public Schools Will Be Allowed To Cut Days From Academic Calendar COVID-19: CT Public Schools Will Be Allowed To Cut Days From Academic Calendar
Covid-19: CT Public Schools Will Be Allowed To Cut Days From Academic Calendar Connecticut is still finalizing what schools will look like in the fall as the state recovers from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, but districts will have the option to be more flexible with their schedules. The state Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday, July 14 to permit public schools to shorten the academic year by as many as three days, from 180 down to 177, without punishment to permit additional training as schools adjust to the "new normal." The waiver would allow districts extra time to train staff once plans are finalized for reopening schools in the next month…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: Some CT Teachers Refusing To Return To In-Person Classes COVID-19: Some CT Teachers Refusing To Return To In-Person Classes
Covid-19: Some CT Teachers Refusing To Return To In-Person Classes Some school teachers in Connecticut won’t be returning to the classroom in the fall, even if in-person learning is cleared to resume amid the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, Connecticut is considering three levels for reopening: a full reopening with all students in school five days a week, a hybrid plan where some students attend in-person and some do distance learning, and full distance learning, with guidance expected from the state in the coming weeks. Earlier story - COVID-19: CT Public Schools Will Be Allowed To Cut Days From Academic Calendar However, some teachers are showing relucta…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: CT To Unveil 'First Draft' Fall Plan For Schools This Week COVID-19: CT To Unveil 'First Draft' Fall Plan For Schools This Week
Covid-19: CT To Unveil 'First Draft' Fall Plan For Schools This Week A "first draft" fall plan for schools in Connecticut will be unveiled this week. Gov. Ned Lamont announced the plan will be rolled out on Thursday, June 25. It will include preliminary guidance to school districts from the state Department of Education on how to reopen.  The plan will reportedly call for a five-day week for kindergarten through 12th grade with guidelines for when mask use is required and how bus service will be structured. "We are doing a lot of with distance learning online, but there is nothing like the classroom," Lamont said. In another development, certain…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
COVID-19: Will Hybrid Education Be New Normal For School Districts, Colleges? COVID-19: Will Hybrid Education Be New Normal For School Districts, Colleges?
Covid-19: Will Hybrid Education Be New Normal For School Districts, Colleges? Some colleges and schools are making plans to adopt a hybrid education model that involves a combination of in-class and distance learning methods amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. When the outbreak arrived in mid-March, most schools at all levels were forced to concentrate their focus on remotely educating students for the remainder of the academic year. As students, parents, and educators begin planning for the fall semester, many will be using lessons learned during the pandemic to form the hybrid model. Under hybrid learning plans, students will have the option to t…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Connecticut Schools To Stay Closed For Rest Of Academic Year COVID-19: Connecticut Schools To Stay Closed For Rest Of Academic Year
Covid-19: Connecticut Schools To Stay Closed For Rest Of Academic Year Connecticut has joined neighboring states New York and New Jersey in keeping schools closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In-person classes at all K-12 public school facilities in Connecticut remain canceled for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year and schools will continue providing distance learning, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday morning, May 5. "Given the circumstances, this is the best course of action for the safety of students, educators, and staff," Lamont said. Schools will also be required to continue providing…

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by Joe Lombardi