Schools refine protocols as they prepare for in- person learning

With more schools switching to in- person learning as the weather warms up and vaccines make inroads, districts are focusing on ways to keep a larger number of children in classroom space safe.

From moving or removing plastic barriers to providing baseball caps with attached face shields, the plan for the next few months for many is toward a return to pre- pandemic schooling attendance but with health protocols on the forefront.

“Kids have been great with the masks,” said Bridgeport Superintendent Michael Testani. “There was a lot of skepticism from the adults, but they wear them and they’re used to them.”

All high school students in the district have the option for full- time, in- person instruction. Students in prekindergarten through eighth grade can report to classrooms five days a week, unless their class size exceeds 15 students, in which case instruction is hybrid.

Bridgeport continues to use seating charts, limit furniture in classrooms so students can spread out, reduce movement throughout the buildings, and restock cleaning wipes, sanitation stations and PPE in schools, Testani said.

Students and their teachers in Bridgeport also have access to plastic barriers. School staff can request Plexiglas for their desks, as well as face shields in addition to their masks. Students are offered a stylish alternative: baseball caps with an attached face shield, though most kids have opted to wear masks.

Fairfield, which has plans to open in- person school full time on March 1 for special needs students and to all students a few weeks later, employs plastic partitions during snack time and mask breaks for its younger grades.

The problem with the partitions, however, is that the younger students have reported struggling to hear or see the board with them up, said Superintendent Mike Cummings. He said he believes the barriers might be better suited for middle and high schools.

Once everybody is back in classrooms, the district plans to keep using plastic dividers during snack and lunch, he said.

“The barriers are going to have a role going forward as an additional mitigation factor,” Cummings said.

In Shelton, students in kindergarten through sixth grade will be in school four days a week, while those in seventh through 12th grade are offered a hybrid schedule. All students will continue to learn remotely on Wednesdays.

Alongside requiring kids to wear masks, wash their hands and social distance, Shelton also uses plastic shields in certain situations, often during one- on- one work. The district reported no issues among the limited number of students who use the barriers.

“We have not changed our mitigation strategies,” said Shelton Superintendent Ken Saranich. “I believe we have just become better in our understanding and enforcement of what we have always been doing.”

Schools in Monroe have fixed plastic partitions to students’ desks in elementary buildings.

“We have found that using double- sided tape along with packing tape has prevented them from falling off the desks,” said Superintendent Joseph Kobza. Elementary schools installed the dividers last fall, when Monroe planned to offer full- time, in- person learning. “They have held up extremely well so far,” Kobza said.

The district recently increased face- to- face instruction at Jockey Hollow and Masuk High School, letting students choose between staying in their hybrid cohort, learning in person four days a week or going fully remote. The district is all remote on Wednesdays.

Monroe has started using portable desk shields at the two schools, so students can take them with them from class to class.

Kobza added that the barriers are just an additional approach to mitigation.

“Not one strategy is perfect,” he said, “but we recognize the need to employ with fidelity each strategy to better protect our students and staff.”