Parents fret as schools await state guidance
Plans for start of 2021-22 year unclear
NEW MILFORD — As a new school year draws closer, local officials are still waiting for state guidance on reopening schools, and parents are demanding updates.
They’re particularly concerned about the question of masking. Will children be mandated to wear masks, or will parents get to choose? No district can answer that question yet.
Under Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency powers, public schools in Connecticut have to abide by state guidance when it comes to reopening policies like masking. Yet, Lamont, whose emergency powers were recently extended through September, has yet to release updated guid
ance.
This has left area school districts juggling protocol decisions and questions from concerned parents who want to know what the masking policy will be in the fall.
Just over half of children aged 12 to 15 and 61 percent of those aged 16 to 24 have had at least one dose of the vaccine in Connecticut, with some towns reporting lower numbers. Children under 11 have yet to be approved for vaccination.
During a New Milford Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, parents asked this question, and officials tried to offer clear answers.
After a public comment session with a couple parents opposed to mandatory masking and one in favor, New Milford’s board moved the reopening plan discussion up on the agenda.
“Superintendents are eagerly awaiting that [state] guidance because that will be what drives what we can and can’t do in our decisions at the local level,” said DiCorpo during the meeting. “Right now we’re awaiting that guidance, but we’re planning in any way that we can just to ensure the safety of all kids. We just don’t know what it’s going to look like.”
The same questions were raised at Brookfield’s board of education meeting Wednesday when about 15 parents spoke about masking. The board moved their discussion up as well.
This was the second Brookfield board meeting that had roughly an hour of public comment surrounding masking concerns.
In Region 12, Superintendent Megan Bennett said she’s heard from a number of parents advocating on both sides of the issue.
Meanwhile, Bethel Superintendent Christine Carver said parents in her district haven’t been as vocal.
Carver added that there seemed to be misunderstandings about the power local districts have in making these decisions.
“I think parents think that we have a lot more control over this than we do,” Carver said. “If we had the ability to say something now, we would.”
If Lamont were to throw the decisions to local districts, New Milford Health Director Lisa Morrissey, who was in attendance Tuesday, said that would require a specific mandate telling local health directors to work with school boards and superintendents to make decisions.
“I’m not sure that we have all the answers because, quite frankly, we don’t. It’s that simple. It would be inappropriate to say that we do,” said Wendy Faulenbach, New Milford Board of Education chair, at the end of the nearly hour-long discussion.
Even with no updated guidance, districts are trying to prepare.
So far, New Milford has sent the state their reopening plan, ordered the necessary personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and cafeteria partitions, and also organized tents for outdoor lunches through October.
Tom McMorren, the new interim superintendent for the Easton-Redding-Region 9 district, said they are “thinking about and planning for a variety of scenarios” with an emphasis on safety for all.
Carver recently attended a meeting with the State Department of Public Health who provided information on everything but masks, including updated guidelines on direct contact and quarantining.
“That was incredibly helpful for logistically planning,” she said.
Transportation, including buses, require masks for children and employees per CDC mandate, Morrissey said.
Closing in on fall
Time is not in abundance. New Milford has its first full day of classes on Aug. 25. Danbury starts the next week on Aug. 30, with Brookfield following on Aug. 31.
Superintendent Alisha DiCorpo said during the meeting that with just four weeks before the start of school, she’s “very concerned” about the turnover time between receiving the state guidance and implementation.
DiCorpo added that even after the district receives official guidance, it could still be another five to seven days before she’s able to send out information to parents.
“It’s just not always possible to turn it around in 24 to 48 hours,” she said.
In a smaller district like Region 12, a lack of information is particularly stressful. Bennett said parents have told her the masking decision could dictate whether they enroll their child, and class size fluctuations might impact staffing needs.
“It’s a holding pattern, and it’s an uncomfortable holding pattern” for parents and schools, Bennett said.
Brookfield Superintendent John Barile told parents and the board that the he plans to present an updated reopening plan at a special meeting next week for consideration and approval.
“At that point I hope and pray that the state gives us further direction on masking and we will do everything we can to give clarity on some of those,” Barile said.
He added later: “We need to be ready and by the end of July, it’s important for parents to know what’s going on here, so we’ll have that information next week.”
Carver said she wasn’t concerned about the timeline with a masking decision.
“That’s something that we don’t have to preplan a lot for,” she said.