CT's Back-To-School Plan Released: What You Need To Know

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration unveiled the preliminary school plan for the fall, which calls for as close to a normal school year as possible. However, officials warned that students, staff and parents should prepare to be flexible if the pandemic takes a turn for the worse.

Face coverings will be mandatory for bus drivers, students and staff, with the exception of medical exemptions and when teachers are providing instruction. Teachers will have to increase their distance from students during that time.

The ultimate goal is to have as close to a traditional classroom experience as possible with all students attending five days per week, Lamont said.

There will be four levels of instruction depending on how widespread the coronavirus infection rate is within a school and the community. “Contained” will have in-person classes and “minimal spread” will also have in-person classes, but with enhanced safety protocols.

“Moderate spread” will reduce a school’s capacity and have part-time distance learning. “High spread” will have remote learning for all students.

More details about the thresholds will be released soon, said State Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona. Additional details will include what would happen to students who have a preexisting condition where they are at a higher likelihood for a serious coronavirus complication.

“There may be a need for an alternative plan that has some hybrid model that might have shifts and A days or B days if the health data requires it,” Cardona said.

Cohorting is encouraged for grades K-8 and as much as possible for grades 9-12. This would keep the same group of students together throughout the school day and contain any potential spread of the virus to one classroom, Lamont said.

Frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer will be mandatory. Everyone should wash or sanitize their hands upon arrival to school, after eating and throughout the day. There will also be enhanced cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in schools, officials said.

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“Addressing the educational setbacks and the social-emotional toll caused by COVID-19 is best addressed by maximizing in-person instructional time,” Cardona said. “In developing this plan, we worked in close consultation with public health officials to prioritize the safety of our school communities and, just as intensively, engaged students, parents, and educators for their critical input.”

Lamont signed an executive order March 15 that closed in-person classes at public schools. Many school districts at that point had already announced they were closed. He held out hope that students might be able to go back to school for a couple of weeks in June, but decided that the risks outweighed the benefits.

The general consensus among educators is that distance learning isn’t as effective as in-person classes; 75 percent of teachers surveyed by the American Federation of Teachers in Connecticut said that distance learning wasn’t as effective as in-person teaching for the long-term.

Check back for updates on this developing story