New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Student safety ‘our first priority’ in school reopening plans
SEYMOUR — Whether schools here reopen in fall for in-person classes, distance learning or a combination of both, the district has developed a comprehensive plan with safety of students and staff in mind amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The district’s reopening plan was laid out Thursday during the Board of Education’s
virtual meeting. Nearly 200 people tuned in to listen as school officials — from the superintendent and building principals to the head school nurse and facilities director — spelled out the steps being taken to keep everyone safe.
The plan was developed over the last few months by a 10-member committee comprised of school, health and security officials, a teachers union rep, a parent and others.
The board, following the hours-long meeting, voted unanimously to adopt the plan, with the option to revise it as needed, and submit it to the state Department of Education.
“A lot of hard work and many hours went into this plan to present for a safe, possible return in the fall,” said Superintendent of Schools Mike Wilson.
The reopening plan offers three options for the school year beginning Sept. 8: a full return to in-person classes; distance learning only; and a hyrbid model with both an in-person and remote approach. The plan isn’t set in stone, and the committee will be expanded for further input with question-and-answer sessions for the community, and teacher and parental survey results factored in to help pinpoint which of the three options
will be best based on the current pandemic situation at the time of reopening.
“This plan offers guidance for our potential reopening, but this pandemic is fluid and everchanging and the plan can change,” Wilson said.
Board Chairman Ed Strumello, who sat on the reopening committee, said a physical return to school would allow a week’s worth of staff training/planning from Aug. 25-31, a return of small groups of students who struggled with distance learning Sept. 1-4 and full inperson return for all Sept. 8.
Under the in-person and hybrid models, desks will be distanced apart, all rooms and surfaces will be regularly sanitized and all soft surfaces such as beanbag chairs will be removed.
A plan for full distance learning, which teacher Meagan Krushinski said “can never replace the in-person classroom experience,” would take effect if necessary. Parent and teacher input on what was learned over the last few months was used to make a stronger plan, including more structured schedules and more live, virtual sessions with mandatory student attendance.
A combination of both in-person and remote learning would feature students physically returning to class two or three days a week, and doing distance learning the rest of the week, with a rotating schedule for different grade levels to attend in-person.
No matter what reopening plan happens, parents always have the option of keeping their kids at home, officials said.
Under any plan, all students in grades K-12 will get Chromebooks.
Regarding bus transportation, officials said buses will be continually sanitized with newly purchased sprayers by All-Star Transportation, and students and drivers will be required to wear masks, and buses will be cleaned following each run.
Director of Facilities Tim Connors said in the schools, water fountains will be disabled, as everyone will bring their own clear bottles. He said the district stocked up on cleaning supplies, masks and other personal protective equipment to last at least four months without affecting the budget.
Chatfield-LoPresti School Principal Dave Olechna said masks will be worn on school grounds and inside buildings, with mask breaks during which students can remove them at lunch, recess and gym. The district will provide cloth masks. All playscapes will be sanitized between each use, lunch will be eaten in classrooms, and outdoor dining would employed whenever possible. Students will travel in small cohorts throughout the day, keeping their exposure to other grade levels at a minimum, and will have different entrances and exits into the building depending on grade.
Head School Nurse Rebecca Bennett said she realizes parents are concerned and probably even scared about sending their kids back, but said the district is going above and beyond to make their safety paramount.
“We are working very hard to keep all our students and staff safe, that’s our first priority,” she said.
Staff training in basic hygiene, posters stressing the importance of hand washing and the proper way to sneeze, for example, will be plastered everywhere. There are protocols in place if someone were to test positive for COVID-19 that involve Naugatuck Valley Health District contacting parents, doing contact tracing and, if necessary, shutting down schools for a 14day quarantine, or longer.
Students’ temperatures won’t be taken upon entry into school, as school officials said CDC guidelines find not much of a benefit to it, especially because they can fluctuate with warmer temperatures. School nurses’ offices will feature isolated areas to keep potentially sick students away from others.
Several emails from parents were read aloud, including one from Christopher DelSole, who won’t be sending his kids back to school in person.
“Governor Lamont limited indoor gatherings to 25 people yet you sit here tonight waiting to cluster hundreds of children in a building, does that bother you?” he wrote. “Shut these buildings down and provide these children with a distance learning curriculum. If you open up these schools in September, whatever happens next falls on you.”