Many area lawmakers favor remote learning
DANBURY — As teachers demand schools be permitted to switch temporarily to remote learning amid a COVID-19 surge and staff shortages, some local lawmakers are reluctant to advocate for distance learning — unless it’s the last resort. Some say it is.
“I’m really torn,” said state Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury.
He said he’s weighing the academic, social and mental health benefits of in-person
learning with the contagiousness of the omicron variant that has, in part, driven COVID-19 cases to their highest rates.
“I think probably there should be kind of a local option,” Godfrey said. “I would prefer the option be with the superintendent of schools and not politicians.”
In Danbury, where school closed for part of last week due to staff shortages, the superintendent has said he wants to work with the Danbury delegation to advocate for remote learning to prevent students from doing nothing at home on days like that.
The governor has insisted he wants to keep schools open, arguing students learn better in the classrooms. State legislation prevents remote learning days from counting as part of the required 180 school days.
Many teachers in Danbury and across the state planned to wear black on Wednesday as part of their push for N95 masks, athome test kits and more flexibility to allow for temporary distance learning.
“We all agree that inperson learning is best for our students, but we must be able to ensure that our buildings can be staffed safely too,” NEA Danbury said on its Facebook page. “When we are not able to do this due to staff illness and quarantine, we MUST be able to offer a better alternative for our students than closing. We urge Governor Lamont to allow districts to make that decision when and if it is needed. A remote day of learning is far better than no day of learning.”
Health and safety concerns
Democrats said they expected to discuss remote learning Wednesday, when its caucus planned to meet.
State Rep. Ken Gucker, D-Danbury, said he’s on board with remote learning counting as one of the 180 school days. He said he gets calls from teachers every day who are worried about conditions in schools.
“As much as we don’t want to go back to remote learning because there are arguments and studies that say that it's not as good, we’re finding that I don't think we have much of a choice,” he said.
In Danbury, 296 staff members were absent last Jan. 3, and 322 employees were out Jan. 4, the superintendent said. Student attendance was at 74 percent on Monday and 80 percent on Tuesday, down from the average of the mid 90s, he said.
When so many teachers are absent, “what learning is really happening?” Gucker questioned.
“It’s not just the short staffing of the teachers not being able to be in school,”
he said. “It’s a safety issue. It’s a safety issue for the children and the teachers.”
State Rep. Raghib AllieBrennan, D-Bethel, said he’s heard from families and teachers who are worried about going into school when positivity rate exceeds 20 percent. He’s advocating for districts and families to be permitted move to remote learning or a hybrid model if they wish.
“We’re kind of forcing people to go into a situation that to me sounds dangerous,” he said.
State Rep. David Arconti, D-Danbury, said allowing schools to temporarily go remote could be a “potential solution” to the issue. He’d want to get feedback from teachers and other stakeholders before supporting any proposals.
The teachers he’s spoken with want to be in class.
“They believe that doing virtual for an extended period of time isn’t the best for students,” he said. “So I think we can all put our hands together to look at an option that could be a limited, virtual basis.”
State Rep. Pat Callahan, R-New Fairfield, said he doesn’t support remote learning. His views are shaped by what he’s heard from his wife, a Connecticut teacher.
“Seeing everything firsthand and hearing it at the dinner table, the learning experience is certainly best in-person,” he said. “The kids are missing so much when they’re not in-person, both socially and educationally.”
Parents face the costly challenge of finding child care, too, he said.
But he said he recognizes the need to have an “option to have some sort of learning” in cases like Danbury’s where schools were forced to close due to staff shortages.
“I understand Danbury schools are bursting at the seams, and there’s been such an influx of students there in this past year,” Callahan said. “If you don't have the staff, what are you going to do? But I know in some schools, they're just being flexible. And, some teachers, they’re covering subjects and students they normally don't, but they’re all professionals.”
The state is facing its worst COVID surge in terms of the positivity rate, with hospitalizations climbing toward their highest numbers ever.
Callahan said he hopes cases peak and then fall quickly, alleviating these challenges for schools.
For now, all educators and students should have N95 masks and access to testing, Arconti said.
“In the meantime, doing the bare minimum right now is making sure everyone is as safe as humanely possible while in-person learning is taking place,” he said.