Coronavirus Danbury: School Events Cancelled, More Changes

DANBURY, CT — Schools Superintendent Sal Pascarella has notified parents and other City residents of the steps the Danbury School District is taking to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

As detailed on the District website:

• All school-sponsored field trips are cancelled until further notice. This includes trips and events held in state, out of state and out of the country. Further communication will come from the district regarding the process and documentation for potential reimbursement.
• March 17 will now be a regular early dismissal day for students, instead of the scheduled one hour early release to allow staff to prepare for any possible school closures.
• As outlined by Gov. Lamont’s office and the state’s Emergency Management Task Force, school events with an anticipated attendance of 100 or more people will be cancelled or postponed. This includes, but is not limited to assemblies, plays and spring concerts. Information or any adjustments regarding specific events will be communicated by building administrators.
• All athletic events will be held without spectators and further guidance will come from the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
• Parent-Teacher conferences will be held electronically or via phone.
• District administrators are collaborating with building teams to create access to learning resources for our students if the needs arise for schools to be closed for an extended period of time.

"We realize that some decisions being made impact families and students personally, such as field trips and athletic events," Pascarella said. "These decisions are being made in collaboration with the State and City of Danbury's Departments of Health, using guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the district’s medical advisory team."

Should the state or city health departments mandate schools close at some point, Pascarella's current plan calls for utilization of emergency days and April vacation in order to satisfy the 180 day minimum student school day requirement. "Supplemental resources" are already in place that can be accessed for students K-12 during the closure, the superintendent said. Teachers in grades 6-12 may be supplying separate resources more specific to their subject matter.

School officials are asking parents to reinforce with their children the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures, which stress hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers.

A third Connecticut resident tested positive for coronavirus, state officials announced Wednesday, warning the number of cases is expected to significantly increase over the next week.

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