Brookfield, New Milford schools pause ‘Screen and Stay’ due to rising COVID cases
Brookfield and New Milford are pausing a program that, in certain cases, allows students who don’t have COVID-19 symptoms to stay in school, even if they’ve been exposed to the virus.
The two school districts are halting participation in the state’s “Screen and Stay” protocol, which the governor launched at the beginning of November. The districts cited rising COVID cases. The state’s positivity rate was 6.48 percent on Thursday.
The program is no longer available for New Milford students as of Wednesday, while the pause in Brookfield went into effect on Thursday.
“Recently, the number of children who have been affected by COVID-19 has risen in the community, and consequently, the number of children in quarantine has risen,” New Milford Superintendent Alisha DiCorpo said in a Wednesday letter to families.
Brookfield students currently on Screen and Stay protocol may remain, Superintendent John Barile said in a message to families.
“Moving forward, until further notice, students considered close contacts of
a COVID positive individual will return to the district quarantine protocol if they are not vaccinated,” he wrote. “We will consult with the Health Department and reassess COVID metrics after the Winter Recess with the hope of returning to the implementation of the Screen & Stay protocol.”
Barile said the district halted the program at the recommendation of its health director “due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases” in town and the state.
The largest school district in the area, Danbury, is keeping the protocol for now.
“At this time, we are continuing with our Screen & Stay Protocol,” Superintendent Kevin Walston said in an email. “However, we will continue to work with our local health department to reassess this position as we monitor Covid-19 cases in the Danbury community and region.”
Other school districts in the area plan to continue to use the program.
“We will be sticking with Screen and Stay for now and will reevaluate next week,” New Fairfield Superintendent Pat Cosentino said.
The protocol allows students with limited exposure in school, on school transportation or outside under school supervision to remain in the classroom if they don’t have symptoms. Parents must monitor kids for symptoms.
“It's probably the best thing that they’ve (the state) done since this started,” Bethel Superintendent Christine Carver said. “We’re absolutely staying with it.”
School districts have strategies to prevent inschool transmission, which has been negligible, she said. The new protocol has been popular with families, who have had to deal with the inconvenience of quarantines less. she said.
“They love it because it’s allowing their children to attend school,” Carver said. “Every time you quarantine, it’s disrupted education.”
About 30 percent of close contacts in Easton, Redding and Region 9 quality for Screen and Stay, Superintendent Jason McKinnon said. Those districts plan to continue with the protocol, too.
Newtown will keep Screen and Stay, as well.
“The protocol is helpful but it does require more work on the part of nurses and administrators to work more closely with parents in understanding the criteria,” Superintendent Lorrie Rodrigue said in an email.
Rising COVID cases in schools
COVID cases have increased in recent days and weeks in schools, communities and the state.
“After Thanksgiving, we definitely saw a much bigger uptick,” Carver said.
Contract tracing showed cases stemmed from Thanksgiving gatherings, she said. Carver estimated 99 percent of cases were from unvaccinated members of the school community. Bethel schools has had 65 COVID cases this academic year.
New Milford has 24 active cases in the schools, with 86 students in isolation or quarantine, according to the most recent data on the district’s website.
New Milford is “strongly recommending” students and staff quarantine for 10 days when exposed, but still allows them the option to test out on day five or later and return on day eight, DiCorpo said.
Officials continue to urge families to vaccinate their children and to take precautions during holiday gatherings.
“The New Milford Department of Health strongly encourages people to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they have not done so already, especially for those who plan on attending social gatherings this holiday season,” Lisa Morrissey, New Milford’s health director, said in the school district letter.
Danbury has had 68 positive cases in the schools since Thanksgiving, with 376 close contacts identified, 322 school members in quarantine and 12 on Screen and Stay, according to the district’s dashboard.
In Brookfield, three staff members and nine students were isolating because they have COVID, according to the district’s dashboard, which was last updated last Friday. There were 28 students quarantining due to close contact.
Easton, Redding and Region 9 has 12 students and one staff member who are COVID positive, according to the district’s data updated Tuesday. One staff member and 57 students are quarantining due to exposure. Ten students are on “Screen and Stay.”
The districts have seen cases rise due to Thanksgiving, as well, McKinnon said.
“These confirmed positive cases were as a result of family contacts or outside activities,” he wrote in a message to families this week. “The mitigation strategies that are utilized in schools continue to work.”
Ridgefield has had 40 cases since Thanksgiving and 119 cases this academic year. There are 87 students quarantining.
Cases in Newtown schools are still lower than earlier this fall, Rodrigue said. There have been four cases among staff and 16 cases among students so far in December, according to the district’s dashboard. There were 7 staff cases and 32 student cases in August and September, with 4 staff cases and 27 student cases in October.
“While we have seen a recent spike, we still have fewer cases and fewer direct contacts/quarantines than in September and October,” she said.