Are Fairfield Schools Ready To Reopen? Union, District Disagree

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield students return to school Tuesday, but the head of the local teachers union says the school district isn’t ready to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. District leadership disagrees.

Bob Smoler, president of the Fairfield Education Association, listed several concerns about the district’s preparedness Thursday in an open letter submitted to Fairfield Patch. The district’s school reopening plan features a hybrid model with students splitting their learning hours between the classroom and home, as well as a full-time opt-in remote education program.

“Fairfield Public Schools are not ready to open effectively and safely,” Smoler said in the letter.

During school "trial run" days held this week to allow students to practice pandemic protocols, classrooms were not set up to allow for social distancing, desks were not cleaned and hallway passing was too close, he said. Smoler also said buildings were not equipped with the necessary technology and teachers had not been trained to conduct the livestreaming and recording required for instruction.

Teachers working in the district’s full-time remote academy had no details on how the program would operate, and some teachers were not assigned a class, building or grade as of Thursday, Smoler said, adding staff had received inconsistent instructions across schools about aspects of the reopening plan.

“Any involvement that the teachers had in the development of the current hybrid and remote learning plans ended June 17, weeks before the state issued its school reopening guidelines,” he said in the letter.

In a news release Friday, the school district said more than 50 teachers served on its curriculum committees over the summer, and that Smoler represented teachers on the school reopening committee.

“Throughout late June and July, Committee members, including Mr. Smoler, had multiple opportunities to provide input on and suggested revisions to the draft Reopening Plan,” the news release said.

Reopening protocols are being implemented consistently across the district, according to Director of Communications Andrea Clark.

All teacher assignments have been made, according to the news release, and instructors involved with the full-time remote program were set to meet Friday and plan orientation.

Teachers will use Google Meet for synchronous lessons, which require only a device with a built-in camera and microphone, the news release said. All teachers will have the equipment in time for the first day of school, according to Clark.

“We understand that all our teachers have a steep learning curve ahead and we will support them,” superintendent Mike Cummings said in the news release. “However, we begin the new school year in a strong position, with a strong focus on building relationships and supporting the social and emotional well-being of all our students, teachers and staff.”

Regarding the trial runs this week, the news release said students did an “outstanding job.”

“At all levels, from our youngest learners through high school, they understand the importance of the changes we have had to make,” Cummings said in the news release.

The school district has more than 9,000 students and the teachers union has almost 1,000 members. Last month, it was reported to the school board that about 900 students had selected the full-time remote learning option, while nearly 200 district employees had requested meetings to discuss special accommodations related to the pandemic.

“We will continue to make changes as school begins and throughout the year, as circumstances change,” Cummings said in the news release. “We ask for your continued patience and flexibility.”