Flexibility, patience required on school plans

Even as the coronavirus rages around the country, there are continuing signs that Connecticut is in a much better place than it was a few months ago. Cases are down. Deaths have declined dramatically. By some metrics, we’re in position to return to something resembling our former reality, before the pandemic hit, even as we stick to wearing masks and maintaining social distance guidelines.

That this coincides with the looming start of a new school year had many thinking that we could cautiously proceed with a regular September, plus or minus some COVID-related realities. Gov. Ned Lamont has encouraged schools to open five days a week for full-time learning, and parents of young children had been hoping for many reasons to see that become a reality.

Few like the idea of a resumption of the spring’s distance learning. It makes everything about the process harder, especially for children on the cusp of falling behind. Teachers are out of their element, and parents are forced to change their schedules to stay at home and supervise when they might otherwise be at work. The economic challenge is severe, but so are the social and educational drawbacks.

But the dangers of the virus are real, too. And even with Connecticut’s relatively good position, a growing number of school districts are now opting for a hybrid model to start the year, where children are in school part of the time and learning from home the rest. The specifics vary by town, and there remain serious drawbacks to this approach. But it’s an understandable reaction to a fluid situation, and everyone involved needs to show some patience.

A hybrid plan would have only half the number of students in a classroom at any time. That would allow for legitimate social distancing and reduce exposure to more people. Unlike a full-time distance-learning plan, it would allow children to get to know their new teachers in person, at least for a time, and experience something like a normal school day. And while it’s far from perfect for parents, it offers a bit of a break for families that may have spent most of the last five months quarantined in close quarters.

Still, frustration has been high. The scheduling challenges are serious, and not all parents can handle the new reality without help. Any child care contingency plans that increase exposure to more people would seem to defeat the purpose of limiting classrooms to small groups.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer. The virus is still out there, and teachers, faculty, parents and even students are at risk. We can all wish the nation did a better job investing in public health measures and taking the risks seriously from the outset, and we can make sure we plan better for the next inevitable crisis. But this is where we are now.

And plans can change. If districts’ current plans, hybrid or otherwise, don’t work out, they can be rethought as the year goes on. Full-time school could still happen in most towns. Everyone, from the governor on down, needs to display some patience as the world feels its way through this new reality.

We can all wish the nation did a better job investing in public health measures and taking the risks seriously from the outset. But this is where we are now.