Ed department: Short year ‘would deprive students’

The state Department of Education says it opposes a plan from lawmakers to reduce the 180-day school year by five days to help districts that canceled classes due to COVID-related staffing shortages.

The department’s opposition came less than 24 hours before an expected vote Thursday in the House on a legislative package that will include 11 COVID orders that Gov. Ned Lamont says are necessary to continue to fight the pandemic, with some notable changes, including the school waiver.

“The department is deeply concerned about any proposal that would deprive students of the learning opportunities to which they are entitled; such a proposal is not in the best educational interests of our students and is simply not equitable,” Eric Scoville, spokesperson for the department, said in a statement Wednesday night.

In a phone interview later Wednesday night, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, fired back.

“I respectfully disagree,” he said.

The waiver is intended to help districts that canceled classes due to COVID-related staffing shortages during the omicron surge. Local school boards would have the option to decide if they want to waive up to five days. Ritter said it would not be mandated and the change would only be applicable for the 2021-22 school year.

Scoville said districts already have the ability to request permission from the state Board of Education to shorten the school year due to an “unavoidable emergency” and recent data shows “the average length of a closure in Connecticut was less than two days.”

But some districts, such as Ansonia Public Schools, which closed for a week in January, were disproportionately impacted by the omicron surge this winter, Ritter said. He said school officials have requested the additional flexibility as they continue to navigate the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Extending the end of the school year due to COVID closures could also present logistical challenges as parents make plans for their kids to participate in summer programs, camps and other activities, Ritter said.

Patrice McCarthy, deputy director and general counsel for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said this week the “one-time flexibility would be helpful for their staff and students.”

“In some cases, you otherwise would have to extend the school year well into June, some of the schools are not air-conditioned and people are exhausted,” McCarthy said.

A spokesperson for the American Federation of Teachers also expressed support for the waiver.

However, Scoville said in most cases, the last published day of school ranges from as early as May 26 to as late as June 21.

“To the best of our knowledge, no district is currently slated to go into the final week of June,” he said.

The requirement has been waived twice since the start of the pandemic — first by executive order from Lamont for the 201920 school year and then by the Board of Education, which voted to require students to go to school for 177 days for the 2020-21 school year with the extra three days being dedicated to COVID-19 safety training.