Stonington school board to form COVID advisory council

Stonington — Board of Education members agreed Wednesday night to form an advisory council that will make recommendations to school officials about how to address COVID-19-related issues going forward.

The council was suggested by board Chairman Frank Todisco, who said the school system not only has to make decisions about bringing students back for more days of in-person instruction this spring but what to do this summer to help students who have struggled academically this school year and what school will look like this fall.

“Everything I read is that COVID is not going away,” he said, pointing out the variants of the virus that are circulating. “We’re going to be living with this for some time to come,” he added.

Todisco said an advisory council would “tap into the talent and expertise we have in the community.” He said the council would not be making any decisions, as those would be left up to the school board and administrators.

Board member Gordon Lord said the board would be missing an opportunity if it did not tap into the “passion and knowledge in the community.”

“Everything I read is that COVID is not going away. We’re going to be living with this for some time to come.”

FRANK TODISCO, CHAIRMAN

STONINGTON BOARD OF EDUCATION

Work with administration

Todisco said he would work with Superintendent of Schools Van Riley to determine the size of the council and appoint members.

Letters were sent out Friday to families of kindergarten, first, sixth and ninth grade students informing them of the plan to return these students to four-daya-week in-school instruction beginning March 15. Families also can choose to have their children learn virtually for the rest of the school year.

Meanwhile, over the next week, Riley will develop a plan to bring back all students to more in-person instruction as quickly and safely as possible while considering factors such as vaccine and staff availability and building constraints. He is scheduled to present that plan to the board at its March 11 meeting.

A group of parents has continued to press the school board to bring students back to school five days a week. Since the beginning of school last September, students here have attended school in person two days a week and learned remotely three days a week.

On Thursday, Ledge Light Health District released data that shows over the past two weeks there have been 34 new cases of COVID-19 in town, for a positivity rate of 2.7%. Since the pandemic began last March, the town has seen 960 COVID-19 cases and 28 related deaths.