The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Conn. schools to be closed for rest of school year
Gov. Ned Lamont and state education officials are hoping for better, innovative learning experiences for children facing the rest of the spring and summer with school buildings closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our great strength as a state is our amazing education system,” Lamont said Tuesday. “So this is tough, saying we won’t have traditional learning between now and the end of June. But we are going to be leaders when it comes to nontraditional learning right now.”
He said that online lessons and teleconferencing introduced in March, could become part of the state’s long-term educational strategy, as well.
The highly anticipated closure announcement from Lamont and Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona came Tuesday morning, after parents, teachers and administrators from around the state increasingly questioned the wisdom of bringing 530,000 students into close proximity to one another too soon.
“To our parents and the kids out there, think about this as a new way to learn,” Lamont said. “This is not a lost opportunity. It’s a new opportunity and that’s the way I’m going to think about it. We’re going to make sure that this summer and this fall, you’re learning at your
very best.”
With New York last week, then New Jersey announcing on Monday that schools would remain shuttered through the academic year, it was a natural move for Lamont and Cardona to follow suit.
During the governor’s daily news briefing in the state Capitol, Lamont said pushback was minimal from districts that have been less affected by the coronavirus.
“I was the guy probably saying hey let’s wait a little bit longer, let’s see if there’s some way we can have two weeks back there to give some completion, but I think that the overwhelming majority of parents, teachers and maybe even students thought that this was the right thing to do,” Lamont said.
“The class cancellation until further notice is difficult to accept for all of us, but one based on the decision of health and safety of our students, our families and our staff,” Cardona said. “For the students listening, your school year has not ended. Your teachers, schools, district leaders and staff are committed to supporting your learning for the remainder of the school year. Let’s finish strong.”
Cardona admitted that distance learning has been harder for students in the big cities where there are fewer family computers and less access to WiFi.
“There are really good examples of distance learning in every district,” Cardona said. “We’re not slowing down at all in our efforts to provide equity and access throughout Connecticut.” He expected to use federal funding to help inner city schools further.
A potential date in July for summer school will be made in the coming weeks. As far as graduations, officials say virtual is the way to go. “We don’t see any in-person graduations this June,” Lamont said.
Public schools in the state closed in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The target date for reopening has been walked back twice while learning went online. The latest targeted reopening date was May 20.
At a news conference last week, Lamont laid out a plan to gradually reopen the state based on several social distancing criteria, all of which schools appeared to fail.
Beth Bye, the state commissioner of early childhood programs, said during the Tuesday news conference that parents returning to work but in need of childcare can call the state’s 211 phone line for information. Bye said that licensed summer camps, as well as local youth programs, will currently be allowed to open on June 29, subject to coronavirus preventing guidelines.