CT Schools Reopening: Mask, SAT, Cost Questions Answered

CONNECTICUT — As school districts prepare to submit their reopening plans to the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, there have been numerous questions from various groups.

The Connecticut State Department of Education published "Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together" on June 29, and gave schools until July 24 to formulate their strategies in response. The guidance within the document was meant to give the districts general direction, but the state's efforts to provide what it called "maximum flexibility" has naturally yielded some gray areas and uncertainty.

On Friday, the CSDE released a new document, containing the answers to frequently asked questions asked by the school districts, to "provide clarity on a variety of topics" found in the original guidelines.

At the top of the list was a question about the length of the 2020-21 school year. The traditional calendar of 180 days of school and 900 hours of instruction is still mandatory, the state clarified. But given that many districts and students may be opting for remote learning for at least a portion of their work, a school will be considered to have fulfilled its obligation so long as it offers school for 180 days. "The school district has met its obligation to provide the 180 days, irrespective of the fact that certain students may not have been present for various reasons," according to the FAQ. Importantly, all students who opt into remote learning will be considered full-time public school students.

The document makes clear that students and staff should not be made to feel compelled or incentivized to come to school sick, citing perfect attendance policies. It also doubles-down on the cleaning, ventilation and sanitization protocols, confirming that schools must conform with all the Department of Public Health guidelines.

There is no maximum number of students in a cohort, according to the new document. The use of the cohort model is to limit the number of students who are exposed to COVID-19 if there is community transmission in the school, and assist with effective contact tracing, according to the FAQ.

The CSDE is likewise not dictating a maximum class size, nor minimum classroom size, leaving both those determinations up to the districts. Although the original state guidelines indicate that social distancing is required during the school day, the new document acknowledges that "guaranteeing a particular distance from others may not be possible 100% of the time."

Districts should strive to maintain the recommended social distancing to the maximum extent possible under the circumstances presented."

Students must wear masks to school, the state makes clear in the FAQ, and schools "must be prepared to provide a mask to any student or staff member who does not have one. This would include, but not be limited to for those who forget their mask, lose their mask, or cannot procure or afford a mask."

The schools may be navigating their way out of a pandemic, but don't expect a break with SAT and SBAC testing. The CSDE "fully expects that all students will be assessed on the state summative assessments in 2020–21," according to the FAQ.

As for whose paying for all this, the state left some, albeit very slim, hope that it might be on the hook for at least a piece of the reopening costs: "We are collecting the district cost estimates to help inform what additional resources might be made available. The state is facing the same revenue issues as local municipalities which will impact its ability to provide additional revenue to towns."

For more answers to frequently asked questions about the state's guidelines for reopening schools, see the document from the CSDE online here.

See also: When It Comes To Wearing A Mask How Is CT Doing? A New Report/Map Answers That

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