Danbury Schools To Reopen With Hybrid Attendance Model

DANBURY, CT — Taking advantage of Gov. Ned Lamont's reversal to allow districts to decide for themselves how they wanted to reopen their schools, the Danbury Public Schools announced it will begin the 2010-21 year using a hybrid attendance model.

According to the plan as outlined in the district's proposal to the Connecticut State Department of Education earlier this month, the student population will be split roughly in half. On Monday and Tuesday, the first group will attend school in person, while the second learns remotely from home. On Thursday and Friday, the groups change places, and all students will be learning remotely on Wednesday.

The announcement came during a meeting of the School Board on Wednesday night, a day before teachers throughout the state expressed their concerns about returning to school houses, through a series of car caravan protests. On Thursday, Lamont said the state is continuing to develop guidance for teachers who don't want to return to the classroom due to conditions that could put them at an increased risk of severe coronavirus complications. One option may be that teachers teach remotely and an apprentice teacher is in the classroom.

Although the district has decided the hybrid model is the schools' preferred option, superintendent Sal Pascarella made it clear at the meeting it was not the only one available:

"The three options are as follows: You can go to home schooling, where you have to un-enroll from the district; you can go full-time DL (distance learning), or you can return to school with the hybrid model," he said at Wednesday's meeting.

The school board and the mayor are both investigating a solution to the childcare problems the hybrid model presents to working families. There are currently about 30-40 parents on the waiting list for the Extended Learning Program, which extends the school day for students for whom going home when the bell rings is not an option. The Board expects demand will increase now that it has confirmed its hybrid approach to reopening.