LEADER ENCOURAGES IN-PERSON LEARNING
Officials: 421 students, 143 staff have tested positive for coronavirus
As the winter and flu season approach, state education Commissioner Miguel Cardona told lawmakers Thursday the state would continue to encourage in-person learning where possible.
“Our position has always been when you can get students into the classroom, that’s the best option. ... There is no replacement for that experience in the classroom with a teacher,” he told members of the legislature’s education committee during an informational hearing. “We want to encourage that.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, 421 students and 143 school staff in 98 districts have tested positive for the coronavirus, the state education department said. The figures include students who are learning entirely online, and Cardona has said he believes most students that have contracted COVID-19 did so outside of school buildings.
Connecticut school districts, with the exception of Hartford, are not testing asymptomatic students per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Districts require students and staff to get tested if they show COVID-19 symptoms or have come in contact with a known positive case, as well as quarantine for at least 10 days.
Cardona acknowledged that school administrators are working with local health departments and that in some cases health officials are encouraging schools to “embrace” a hybrid model of online and in-person learning because of the ability to better space students apart.
“We know this is a health pandemic and we’re really taking a lead from health experts that understand disease spread and how to reduce disease spread,” he said. “But wherever possi