Somers Elementary School Shut Down For 2 Weeks [UPDATED]

SOMERS, CT — Three confirmed cases of coronavirus in a 9-day stretch has prompted education officials to close the Somers Elementary School for the next two weeks.

A letter to parents and members of the school community Saturday from Superintendent of Schools Brian Czapla indicated several staff members "were not feeling well and possible symptomatic." He also said many staff members and students are currently in quarantine.

Beginning Monday, all students will be in remote learning for two weeks, with an anticipated reopening date of Oct. 2, Czapla said.

The full letter from Czapla is shown here:

Good afternoon, Last Thursday, I sent a message regarding the closing of the elementary school due to a positive diagnosis of COVID-19. On Friday, we conducted our contact tracing. Several staff members reported that they were not feeling well and possibly symptomatic. In addition to this, we have many staff and students that are now quarantined. This is causing operational problems as we cannot effectively cover live in-person classes.
We also had numerous meetings with our Health Director and staff from the Connecticut Department of Public Health to determine the best way to move forward.
I regret to inform you that we will be closing Somers Elementary School and suspending in-person learning for fourteen days. We will transition to full remote learning during this time. This is not a decision I make lightly. I realize the impact on students and families, but it is the most responsible and safest way to proceed. Our tentative return date will be on October 2, 2020.
This school year has been unlike anything we have ever experienced. The disruptions are causing stress, anxiety, and impacting learning. I wish that were not the case. When making such an impactful decision like this, please rest assured that we make them because we want to keep everybody in our school system and community safe.
We will continue to monitor the situation during the next two weeks. If there are any changes, updates, or important information, we will communicate this. Somers Elementary School Parents should expect an email from the Principal shortly regarding the remote learning program.
Thank you.
Brian P. Czapla

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