Superintendent says schools are ready to open today in Norwich

Norwich — After a marathon day Friday of visiting every city school with a long checklist of preparations for today’s first day of in-person school, Norwich Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow declared: “We are ready.”

Stringfellow acknowledged that staff and parents are somewhat nervous, and some are questioning whether the city schools can safely reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But she credited her staff for creativity and dedication to ensuring all school building safety protocols are in place.

“We are ready,” Stringfellow said Friday evening. “I am 110% confident. This is my 32nd year opening schools, and I feel like we’re more ready than I’ve ever been.”

Stringfellow visited every school building in the preschool to eighth grade district, checking on details including whether all water fountains were shut off, signs for one-way hallways were in place, hand sanitizer stations were set up and classrooms had the supplies they needed. She said a few signs needed to be installed over the weekend, but schools and staff are ready to greet students Tuesday morning.

“It’s like synchronized swimming,” Stringfellow said. “And it’s joyful. It’s not sterile-looking. It’s the wonderful things you expect in a pre-K to 8th grade school system.”

Teachers have adopted bright colors for their segregated small groups of students, with colored arrows, seat markers, bookbags and supplies.

“The teachers have thought of everything,” she said.

Stringfellow said the school system will use a detailed spreadsheet for contact tracing on any possible COVID-19 exposures. Staff has been asked to report any travel out of state in COVID-19 hot spots and whether they quarantined and their status on testing.

As with most schools in the region, Norwich schools will open with a hybrid system of in-person and remote education, with Cohort A attending Mondays and Tuesdays in normal weeks, with Cohort B learning from home, and the two groups switching positions on Thursdays and Fridays. All students will learn from home Wednesdays to allow for deep cleaning of the buildings.

The parents of about a third of the students opted for fully remote education for their children, so the schools will be about one-third full on most days at the start of the school year, Stringfellow said. No visitors will be allowed in the buildings.

Two Norwich school staff members contacted The Day anonymously to express deep concerns about the district opening schools today, citing the June school budget cuts that slashed about 40 positions districtwide, including school nursing positions, custodians and paraeducators. They said schools lack cleaning supplies needed to ensure student and staff safety.

The district received $1.9 million in federal coronavirus assistance grants, and recently was awarded another $6.3 million to pay for cleaning supplies, academic supports, transportation and personnel support. Stringfellow said the district is hiring certified nurses’ aides to help with coronavirus health and safety protocols.

One concern raised by staff was the plan for deep cleaning on Wednesdays while school staff is in the building doing distance learning.

Stringfellow said at most, there would be only one teacher in a classroom, while common areas will be empty. No cleaning fogs will be used, and cleaning staff will “work around” any teachers and office staff in the buildings.

The need to find child care for school staff members’ own children, who are in hybrid learning as well, was another concern.

The Norwich Recreation Department came to the rescue with a “Herculean effort” on behalf of school staff. The Recreation Department opened child care centers for 31 children, with first priority going to school staff. Recreation Director Cheryl Hancin Preston and Uncas School Principal Peter Camp sent fliers to school staff alerting them to the child care options, which include flexible days and hours for the school system’s variable schedules.

Lee-Ann Gomes, director of Norwich Human Services, which oversees the Recreation Department, said Norwich is the only recreation department offering child care, calling it “a very, very innovative program.” Gomes said the program is looking for a second location, and Stringfellow offered space at the Moriarty Environmental Sciences elementary school or Teachers Global Studies Middle School.

“We’re really grateful,” Stringfellow said. “It was a Herculean effort on behalf of our staff.”