Connecticut Post

Seymour implements hybrid reopening.

- By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich jean.sos@snet.net

SEYMOUR — Students and staff will return to school next month with a combinatio­n of in-person and distance learning, under the district’s reopening plan designed amid the ongoing pandemic.

The Board of Education during its virtual meeting Monday endorsed the reopening plans for Bungay, Chatfield-Lo-Presti, Seymour Middle and Seymour High schools by a vote of 7-2. Board members Fred Stanek and Chris Champagne cast the dissenting votes.

Stanek said while he realizes the data shows Seymour, and Connecticu­t overall, seem to support full in-person learning, “the virus is still out there,” and he believes the safest approach is to begin the 202021 school year with full distance learning.

Champagne voted against the plan, saying “there are too many holes in it.”

“The safety of our students and staff is paramount,” Superinten­dent of Schools Michael Wilson said. “Our metrics with the virus are low, which is why we’re proceeding with the hybrid model. We’d love to come back full in-person, but the prudent decision for us is to go hybrid.”

Wilson remains in daily contact with the Naugatuck Valley Health Department regarding COVID-19 statistics.

Parents can view the individual school plans in their entirety online at www.seymoursch­ools.org. Schools starts Sept. 8.

The hybrid model calls for dividing students based on their bus routes, which Wilson said “lessens the number of students in each building by approximat­ely 50 percent.”

Under the hybrid plan, students will be in school two days per week and distance learning three days per week. One group of students will attend in person Monday and Tuesday, the other on Thursday and Friday. All students will stay home on Wednesdays, when the buildings will be deep cleaned.

“The rationale behind a hybrid by bus route is to allow students from the same neighborho­od to remain together,” Wilson said. “Theoretica­lly, these students and/or families have socially distanced together at some point since the time of school closure and therefore should feel more comfortabl­e remaining with them as a cohort group. Parents and caregivers in these neighborho­ods can come together even more now as a community to assist with placing children on and off the bus, as well as potentiall­y on remote learning days.”

At all four schools, students will notice designated traffic patterns in the hallways and on the floors to prevent them from being too close to one another. Separate entrances and exits will be used by different grade levels to reduce student traffic. Lockers and water fountains will not be used, and bathroom breaks will be scheduled to prevent congregati­ng. Students can bring in their own marked water bottles, which they can fill at filling stations. Masks will be required on the bus and in school, but designated mask breaks will take place in safe areas, as well as during lunch.

All students will use Chromebook­s that they’ll take home every day and be required to charge every night, and all lessons will be the same for those at home and in school.

At the elementary schools, students will eat lunch in their classroom. At the middle school, only four students will be allowed per table in the cafeteria; at the high school, a fourth lunch wave was added to allow for greater social distancing. Cafeterias will be sanitized after each use.

At the middle school, Principal Jodie Roden said the parent drop-off loop has been expanded, only two buses at a time will be called at dismissal and parent pickup will be done alphabetic­ally.

At the high school, Principal James Freund said there will be four block periods instead of seven to minimize student traffic in hallways, and student parking will be at half-capacity.

Freund said the year ahead will be unique.

“We’re looking at this as pioneers, as we are pioneering a new form of education which might very well become our future norm,” he said.

All parents have the option of keeping their kids home for full remote learning. However, those who choose this option cannot participat­e in sports, if they happen, or extracurri­cular activities, according to CIAC guidelines.

“I would like to take a moment to thank all of the members of the reopening committee for all of their hard work and dedication to creating a plan for all students and staff to safely return to school,” Wilson said. “We’re excited to have our students and staff back.”

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